Testing the conspecific attraction hypothesis with Dupont's Larks, a resident species of songbird in central Spain

Abstract

Some birds use social cues, such as the presence of conspecifics, when selecting breeding habitat. This phenomenon, known as conspecific attraction, has been well-documented in migratory species, but has not been assessed for resident species of birds. We used Dupont's Larks (Chersophilus duponti) as a model species to determine if conspecific attraction plays a role in habitat selection by resident species of birds. At our study site in Soria province in central Spain, we monitored two potential habitat patches and one managed site where management actions had provided apparently suitable habitat. At each site, we broadcast recordings of the songs and calls of male Dupont's Larks, and monitored their presence during the breeding season and dispersal period in 2018 using automated recorders and field surveys. No birds were attracted to our study sites. Our results suggest that management of patches of suitable habitat should occur close to areas (within 1 km) already occupied by Dupont's Larks to encourage natural colonization because, based on our results, playback of conspecific vocalizations may not attract the species to new breeding areas. However, additional studies are needed before drawing conclusions about the effectiveness of conspecific attraction for this and other resident species of birds. RESUMEN. Poniendo a prueba la hip otesis de atracci on conespec ıfica con el ave canora residente del centro de España, Chersophilus duponti. Algunas aves utilizan pistas sociales, tales como la presencia de conespec ıficos, cuando seleccionan el h abitat de cr ıa. Este fen omeno, llamado atracci on conespec ıfica, ha sido muy bien documentado en especies migratorias, pero no ha sido evaluado en especies de aves residentes. Utilizamos la Alondra de Dupont (Chersophilus duponti), como especies modelo para determinar si la atracci on de conespec ıficos juega un rol en la selecci on de h abitat de especies residentes. En nuestro lugar de estudio, la provincia de Soria en la parte central de España, monitorizamos dos parches dos parches de h abitat potencial, parche donde las acciones de manejo proveyeron de h abitat aparentemente adecuado. En cada localidad, emitimos grabaciones del canto y llamadas de las alondras, y monitorizamos su presencia durante la epoca de reproducci on y el periodo de dispersi on del 2018, utilizando grabadores autom aticos y censos de campo. Ninguna alondra fue atra ıda a nuestros resultados sugieren que el manejo de parches de h abitat adecuados debe llevarse a cabo en lugares cercanos a areas (dentro de un km) actualmente ocupadas por la pecie para favorecer la colonizaci on de las mismas, ya que seg un nuestros resultados, el uso de grabaciones de conespec ıficos pudiera no atraer individuos a areas nuevas en donde estos puedan reproducirse. Sin embargo, se necesitan estudios adicionales antes de poder concluir sobre la efectividad de la atracci on conespec ıfica, para esta y otras especies de aves residentes.

Breeding dispersal movements of Dupont’s Lark Chersophilus duponti in fragmented landscape

“…The effectiveness of habitat management actions at potential sites, such as tree removal, promotion of extensive grazing and scrub clearance, designed to facilitate dispersal movements and increase population connectivity in fragmented landscapes would benefit from better knowledge on the dispersal processes of the species. Therefore, based on our results, conservation interventions aimed at increasing the habitat available to maintain larger populations or to improve habitat quality for the species (Palma 2018, Pérez-Granados and Traba 2019) would have greater probability of success if performed within a 1-km radius of areas already occupied by the species, since adult birds rarely disperse further than that distance (Laiolo et al 2007).…”

“…Likewise, there are some observations of wintering individuals of unknown age hundreds of kilometres away from the closest known populations (Suárez et al 2006), which suggests that the potential of the species for dispersal might be greater than expected. Due to the apparent dispersal limitations of the adult males (Vögeli et al 2010), studies focused on the dispersal behaviour of Dupont’s Lark may have great relevance for assessing long-term persistence of their populations, and in improving habitat management actions, which have been performed in many potential habitat patches (Palma 2018, Pérez-Granados and Traba 2019, authors’ unpubl. data).…”

The conservation research–practice gap: a case study of a threatened bird

“…Managers may thus prefer to invest in conservation interventions for which the costs and benefits are known from experience (Fazey et al, 2005). To break this circle it is necessary to test all interventions that have been implemented, and disseminate the results, including negative results (Pérez-Granados & Traba, 2019). Only then will practitioners be able to carry out evidence-based conservation (see Salafsky et al, 2019).…”

“…In addition, some causes seem to be interconnected, and vary between the types of conservation interventions, thus making it more difficult to reduce the research–practice gap. Where published studies evaluating the effectiveness of conservation interventions are lacking (Pérez-Granados & Traba, 2019), those measures most often proposed by scientists could be considered as a priority to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation interventions. Improved communication and collaboration between scientists and managers responsible for Dupont's lark conservation in Spain need to be encouraged.…”

Increasing perceived predation risk through playbacks reduces Red-winged Blackbird abundance in agriculture late in the breeding season

“…Broadcast occurred from two speakers located on opposite sides of the game callers. Broadcast was set to ∼90 dB SPL at 1 m for hawk, cowbird, and meadowlark playbacks (following similar experiments that broadcast songbird and raptor vocalizations; Hahn and Silverman 2006, Pérez-Granados and Traba 2019) and 1–8 kHz ∼80 dB at 1 m for Sonic Net playbacks ( sensu Werrell et al 2021). We recognize that the lower amplitude of the Sonic Net sound (approximately half the perceived loudness of the other stimuli) makes it less likely that this treatment would effectively exclude blackbirds.…”