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Seasonal patterns of habitat selection of the House Sparrow Passer domesticus in the urban landscape of Valencia (Spain)

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Abstract

The habitat selection and the factors influencing the distribution of the House Sparrow Passer domesticus in the municipality of Valencia (76 km2) were studied during the winter and breeding season. House Sparrows positively selected urban parks and gardens, patches of derelict land and horticultural fields; they avoided the built-up habitat and the orange groves. In the urban landscape, the abundance of sparrows peaked in areas providing intermediate cover of the built-up habitat; it was positively driven by the amount of park land per unit area, and negatively by the size of urban parks. Our results suggest that the conservation and habitat enhancement of even the smallest parks and gardens are likely key factors in addressing the decline of the House Sparrow in many cities.

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Acknowledgments

I thank to Rob Field his thorough review of an earlier draft of the manuscript, and to Denis Summer-Smith his invaluable comments. I am grateful also to Ronald Muslow who kindly supplies me some papers about the biology of House Sparrows in German cities. The comments of Dan Chamberlain and Klaus Witt greatly contributed to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo para el Estudio de las Aves, G.V. Marqués del Turia, 28, 46005, Valencia, Spain

    Enrique Murgui

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  1. Enrique Murgui
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Correspondence to Enrique Murgui.

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Communicated by F. Bairlein.

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Murgui, E. Seasonal patterns of habitat selection of the House Sparrow Passer domesticus in the urban landscape of Valencia (Spain). J Ornithol 150, 85–94 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-008-0320-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-008-0320-z

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