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Montane and alpine habitats in Europe remained relatively undisturbed until the beginning of the last century. Today, outdoor recreation activities are a major economic factor in alpine regions. Many tourism areas coincide with winter habitats of shy and endangered species. The Western Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus has suffered from rapid population declines during recent decades over much of its...
A species distribution may be determined by its responses to patterns of human disturbance as well as by its habitat preferences. Here we investigate the distribution of the Upland Goose Chloephaga picta, which has been historically persecuted by farmers and ranchers in Patagonia because it feeds on crops and pastures and is assumed to compete with sheep for forage. We assess whether its current breeding...
We studied nesting habitat selection of the endangered non‐migratory Osprey Pandion haliaetus population of the Canary Islands and evaluated the effect of human expansion in recent decades. Compared with randomly selected potential nest‐sites, Osprey nests were more frequently found on taller, southwest‐facing cliffs, characterized by lower human pressure and closer to Yellow‐legged Gull Larus michahellis...
As human populations and associated development increase, interactions between humans and wildlife are occurring with greater frequency. The effects of these interactions, particularly on species whose populations are declining, are of great interest to ecologists, conservationists, land managers and natural resource policy‐makers. The American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus, a species of conservation...
Colonial island‐breeding birds can be particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance, which can adversely affect their nesting success. We studied Sooty Falcons Falco concolor breeding on 10 ground‐predator‐free islands in the Sea of Oman during 2007–2014 and evaluated spatio‐temporal trends in the number of breeding pairs occurring on the islands and the factors influencing nesting success...
Nocturnal birds rely on achromatic visual signals to assess rivals and potential mates, but variation in the expression of these displays has been understudied. Here we use UV‐visible reflectance spectrometry to study colour variation and the potential signalling function of the dark brown chest and white rump plumage – a colour pattern conspicuously exhibited during twilight courtship displays –...
Recreational activities in nature have increased considerably in recent decades. Human disturbance may trigger similar trade‐offs in birds that the natural risk of predation generates on productivity through parental investment decisions. To estimate how the impact of human presence affects breeding birds on Mediterranean beaches, the behaviour of incubating Kentish Plovers Charadrius alexandrinus...
The weekend effect hypothesis predicts that weekly cycles of human activity impact animal behaviour and physiology. This hypothesis has been supported in the context of recreational activity in natural environments but it is unknown whether it also applies to urban animals. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the sentinel (territorial vigilance), foraging and vocal behaviours of an urban‐dwelling...
Old World vultures are experiencing dramatic population declines and now are among the species most threatened with extinction. Understanding the environmental variables that can influence the reproductive indexes of vulture populations can facilitate both habitat and species management. The aim of this study was to identify which environmental variables primarily affect the breeding successes of...
Human‐scent contamination of bird nests and the human‐made trails leading to them is suspected to influence nest survival by attracting or deterring predatory mammals. This paper (1) reviews studies in which human‐scent contamination was suspected to have biased the survival of real and artificial nests by influencing the behaviour of predatory mammals, (2) summarizes the procedures used in attempts...
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