La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	Saker Falcon diet: The implications of habitat change
Auteurs :	Mark Watson, Auteur ; Roger Clarke, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	British Birds (93(3) March, 2000)
Article en page(s) :	136-143
Résumé :	A study of the Saker Falcon Falco cherrug in northeast Kazakhstan in 1997 revealed a diet dominated by susliks Spermophilus, but including some birds, mainly gamebirds (Galliformes) and crows (Corvidae). Traces of prey remains from the previous season included smaller mammals of species that vary greatly in abundance from year to year. Saker breeding success was lower in those areas with taller vegetation, which held fewer susliks. With the collapse of collective farming in Kazakhstan, nomadic herders no longer graze large areas of steppe and alps, and the onset of vegetation succession appears to have reduced the abundance of susliks in some areas. Most grassland-species declines are due to agricultural intensification, but here is an example of negative conservation implications of the abandonment of grazing across large areas of Kazakhstan. If widespread, these land-use changes, together with pressure from falconers, could threaten total numbers of Saker Falcons.

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