Threats Affecting Little Bustards: Human Impacts

Silva, Joao; Arroyo, Beatriz; Marques, Ana Teresa; Morales, Manuel B.; Devoucoux, Pierrick; Mougeot, François

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-84902-3_12

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…As observed during the field work, Kori Bustards capture more insects during the morning hours. This observation was also supported by studies that indicated insects are the main food source for Kori Bustards (Bailey andHallager 2003, Collar andMorales 2022). Decreasing movement toward mid-day might be caused by increased heat, leading to less activity in the open grass plains (Judaset al 2006, Mmassy et al 2019, Collar and Morales 2022.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

“…Though some Bustards perform night movements, they are prone to deaths because of powerline collisions and other infrastructures compared to Bustards that perform daytime movements. Deaths by collisions with powerlines are recorded among many different species (Bevanger 1994, Allan 2005, Marques et al 2021, Silva et al 2022. Therefore, a better understanding about the extent of nocturnal movements in large flying birds is particularly valuable in developing mitigation measures for when Bustards are more prone to such collisions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diurnal and nocturnal movements of Kori Bustards in the Serengeti ecosystem

Mmassy¹,

Ranke²,

Lesio³

et al. 2022

JFO

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Although Kori Bustards (Ardeotis kori) are reported as diurnal, the species' activity patterns have not been assessed to date. We report on the movement during different parts of the day of eight GPS-tagged individuals in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania. Overall, mean distance moved was 206.2 m per hour. The shortest movements were recorded during the night (18.7 m per hour). Our results show strong support for Kori Bustards remaining mostly stationary during the nighttime compared with higher levels of movement during the day.RESUMEN. Aunque Ardeotis kori es considerada una especie diurna, hasta ahora no se han evaluado los patrones de actividad de la especie. Reportamos los movimientos durante diferentes partes del día de ocho individuos marcados con GPS en el ecosistema del Serengeti, Tanzania. En general, la distancia media recorrida fue de 206.2 m por hora. Los movimientos más cortos se registraron durante la noche (18.7 m por hora). Nuestros resultados muestran un fuerte apoyo a la idea de que A. kori permanece mayormente estacionario durante la noche, en comparación con los mayores niveles de movimiento durante el día.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal and nocturnal movements of Kori Bustards in the Serengeti ecosystem

Mmassy¹,

Ranke²,

Lesio³

et al. 2022

JFO

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“…All evidence on mortalities resulting from bustard collisions with powerlines, from both systematic monitoring studies and incidental records, was assembled, supplementing Mahood et al (2018) and Silva et al (2022). Most sources merely reported mortality events and did not estimate collision rates for species, account for survey bias, or clearly report survey effort.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of powerlines on bustards: how best to mitigate, how best to monitor?

Silva

Marques

Bernardino

et al. 2022

Bird Conservation International

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Summary Bustards comprise a highly threatened family of birds and, being relatively fast, heavy fliers with very limited frontal visual fields, are particularly susceptible to mortality at powerlines. These infrastructures can also displace them from immediately adjacent habitat and act as barriers, fragmenting their ranges. With geographically ever wider energy transmission and distribution grids, the powerline threat to bustards is constantly growing. Reviewing the published and unpublished literature up to January 2021, we found 2,774 records of bustard collision with powerlines, involving 14 species. Some studies associate powerline collisions with population declines. To avoid mortalities, the most effective solution is to bury the lines; otherwise they should be either routed away from bustard-frequented areas, or made redundant by local energy generation. When possible, new lines should run parallel to existing structures and wires should preferably be as low and thick as possible, with minimal conductor obstruction of vertical airspace, although it should be noted that these measures require additional testing. A review of studies finds limited evidence that ‘bird flight diverters’ (BFDs; devices fitted to wires to induce evasive action) achieve significant reductions in mortality for some bustard species. Nevertheless, dynamic BFDs are preferable to static ones as they are thought to perform more effectively. Rigorous evaluation of powerline mortalities, and effectiveness of mitigation measures, need systematic carcass surveys and bias corrections. Whenever feasible, assessments of displacement and barrier effects should be undertaken. Following best practice guidelines proposed with this review paper to monitor impacts and mitigation could help build a reliable body of evidence on best ways to prevent bustard mortality at powerlines. Research should focus on validating mitigation measures and quantifying, particularly for threatened bustards, the population effects of powerline grids at the national scale, to account for cumulative impacts on bustards and establish an equitable basis for compensation measures.

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“…, Morales & Bretagnolle, 2022 ; Santangeli et al, 2023 ) associated with increasing agricultural intensification ( Inchausti & Bretagnolle, 2005 ; Traba & Morales, 2019 ) which typically includes reduced fallow surface, increased irrigation, and monocultures leading to landscape simplification, as well as an increase in chemical inputs ( Matson et al, 1997 ; Emmerson et al, 2016 ; Stanton, Morrissey & Clark, 2018 ), all of which reduce habitat suitability. Some farming practices (such as fallow ploughing or night operations) are particularly detrimental for the little bustard, causing nest loss, nestling and adult mortality ( Morales et al, 2013 ; Bretagnolle, Denonfoux & Villers, 2018 ; Silva et al, 2022 ), while the use of agrochemicals ( i.e., fertilizers or pesticides) may have effects on food abundance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal trends of land-use favourability for the strongly declining little bustard: assessing the role of protected areas

González del Portillo,

Morales,

Arroyo

2024

PeerJ

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The little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) is a steppe bird strongly and negatively influenced by agricultural intensification in Europe. Here, we use the little bustard as a model species to examine how favourability (relative occurrence likelihood of a species based on environmental characteristics, such as habitat availability) varies regionally with degree of protection in north-western Spain. The Natura2000 network is one of the main biodiversity conservation tools of the European Union, aiming to protect areas hosting species of conservation concern from unfavourable land-use changes. The network covers many landscapes across the continent, including farmland. Additionally, we examine the relationship between trends in land-use favourability and little bustard population trends over a decade in the Nature Reserve of Lagunas de Villafáfila, a protected area also in the Natura2000 network where active and intense management focused on steppe bird conservation is carried out. Favourability was much greater in Villafáfila than in both protected areas with lower degree of protection and in non-protected areas. Land-use favourability increased slightly between 2011 and 2020 both in and out of protected areas, whereas little bustard populations declined sharply in that period, even in Villafáfila. Spatial variations in little bustard abundance within Villafáfila depended on social attraction (increasing with the number of neighbouring males) but not significantly on small-scale variations in land-use favourability. These results suggest that land-use management in Natura2000 areas needs to be more conservation-focused, favouring natural and seminatural habitats and traditional farming practices to improve land-use favourability for little bustards and other steppe birds. Additional factors, such as field-level agricultural management or social interaction variables that may cause an Allee effect, should be incorporated in little bustard favourability models to improve their use in conservation planning.

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Threats Affecting Little Bustards: Human Impacts

Cited by 8 publications

References 99 publications

Diurnal and nocturnal movements of Kori Bustards in the Serengeti ecosystem

Diurnal and nocturnal movements of Kori Bustards in the Serengeti ecosystem

The effects of powerlines on bustards: how best to mitigate, how best to monitor?

Temporal trends of land-use favourability for the strongly declining little bustard: assessing the role of protected areas

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