La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Land-use changes may explain the recent range expansion of the Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus in southern Europe
Auteurs :	Javier Balbontin, Auteur ; Juan Jose Negro, Auteur ; José Hernán Sarasola, Auteur ; Juan Jose Ferrero, Auteur ; Domingo Rivera, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Ibis (150(4) OCT 2008)
Article en page(s) :	707-716
Résumé :	Occasional observations of Black-shouldered Kites Elanus caeruleus in Europe date back to the mid-19th century, but it was only recorded as a breeding species in the early 1960s in Portugal and a few years later in neighbouring Spain. This recent colonization, possibly from Africa where the species is abundant, may be due to climate change, land-use changes in southern Europe, or both. As a first step to understanding this range expansion process we have developed a habitat selection model using data from the current strongholds of its European distribution. Comparing the proportion of different habitat types around 46 breeding sites and 45 randomly chosen plots, we have found that the area of cultivated parklands known as dehesas in Spain is a strong predictor of the current distribution range of breeding pairs of Black-shouldered Kites. Specifically, the percentage of dehesas with planted cereal and a low density of trees (i.e.

Lundi , mardi et jeudi de 9h à 12h et de 13h à 17h00 : ouverture au public ...