Selection of Nesting Habitat and Insular Niche Separation of Two Sympatric Aquila Species

Abstract

Aquila chrysaetos and Aquila fasciata are two congeneric eagle species distributed in the Mediterranean region which are supposed to compete for similar breeding and foraging resources. In the present study, bioclimatic, topographic, and human-related habitat parameters were investigated for 64 and 75 nest sites of Golden and Bonelli’s eagles, respectively. The nests were found during fieldwork undertaken from 1995–2020. Overall, the habitat parameters that best discriminated nest site selection were associated with elevation, temperature, and land use with topographic variables being most powerful for niche separation. Univariate analysis, regression, and species distribution modeling identified a strong association of the species with altitude pinpointing the Golden eagle’s mountainous and continental character and the Bonelli’s eagle being a lowland and coastal species. Golden eagle nests were situated away from human settlements on steep cliffs in higher altitude areas with transitional woodland-shrub vegetation. In contrast Bonelli’s eagle nests were located on low-altitude warmer zones, closer to the coast and human settlements with more natural grasslands in their vicinity. The ecological niche separation of the two species was best described by altitude and temperature, though no clear-cut evidence was detected for their competitive exclusion. Inter-specific nearest neighboring distance was found statistically significant only for the Golden eagle which seems to be less tolerant in its co-existence with the Bonelli’s eagle. Conservation measures for both species should target territories under human pressure, though more research should focus on the species range use and habitat heterogeneity within overlapping territories.

Space–Time Patterns of Nest Site and Nesting Area Selection by the Italian Population of European Rollers: A 3-Year Study of a Farmland Bird Species

“…Understanding the drivers of nest site and nesting area selection is thus a critical component of successful conservation interventions and requires identification of any significant spatio-temporal patterns of the breeding phase in order to make conservation management relevant at the population level [14][15][16]. However, no attention has so far been given to the European Roller nest site and nesting area selection at the national level in Italy, where, in fact, only local studies are available [17].…”

Conservation and Ecology of Raptors: Introduction to the Special Issue

“…results reveal the constant presence of relatively low numbers of kites during the whole winter period in the studied landfill. The Special Issue continues with an overview of nest site selection in three apex predators, which are positioned at the highest trophic level of the food web, being the best indicators of the ecosystem's richness and functioning [4,6]. In the first study [4], species distribution modelling was applied to study the association of the golden eagle and Bonelli's eagle to different natural and anthropogenic factors to distinguish both species' niche separation and coexistence.…”

“…The Special Issue continues with an overview of nest site selection in three apex predators, which are positioned at the highest trophic level of the food web, being the best indicators of the ecosystem's richness and functioning [4,6]. In the first study [4], species distribution modelling was applied to study the association of the golden eagle and Bonelli's eagle to different natural and anthropogenic factors to distinguish both species' niche separation and coexistence. The other study conducted a multi-scale model analysis of eagle owl territories in Israel to understand the habitat requirements of the species.…”