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Does the european hareLepus europaeus avoid ravenCorvus corax nests in farmland?

Vermeidet der Feldhase (Lepus europaeus) in Agrargebieten die Umgebung von Nestern des Kolkraben (Corvus corax)?

Le Lièvre d'Europe (Lepus europaeus) évite-t-il les nids du Grand Corbeau (Corvus corax) en zone rurale?

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Summary

In this study we tested the hypothesis that the European hareLepus europeaeus avoids areas around nests of the ravenCorvus corax built on electricity pylons in an intensively used farmland. Hare counts were conducted in spring 1999 and 2000 in areas of 1000 m length and 200 m width along 47 transect lines starting from pylons with raven nests. Likewise, 47 control areas along transect lines, which started from pylons without any nests were studied. The two types of transects did not differ with respect to the number of recorded hares. The main factor influencing hare occurrence in farmland was found to be habitat diversity.

Zusammenfassung

Geprüft wurde, ob Feldhasen in intensiv landwirtschaftlich genutzten Gebieten die Umgebung von Kolkrabennestern meiden. Dazu wurden im Frühjahr 1999 und 2000, ausgehend von Strommasten mit Rabennestern, auf 47, jeweils 1000 Meter langen und 200 Meter breiten Transektflächen Hasenzählungen durchgeführt. Die ermittelten Werte wurden mit denen von 47 gleich gearteten Kontrolltransekten verglichen, die von Masten ohne Rabennest ausgingen. Die Anzahl der entdeckten Hasen unterschied sich nicht signifikant zwischen den beiden Transekttypen. Entscheidend für die Verteilung der Hasen in der Agrarlandschaft war die Habitatdiversität.

Résumé

Dans cette étude a été testée l'hypothèse suivant laquelle, dans une exploitation agricole intensive, le Lièvre d'Europe évite le voisinage de nids de Grand Corbeau construits sur des pylones électriques. Des comptages ont été effectués au printemps 1999 et 2000 sur des sites de 1000m de longueur et de 200m de large le long de 47 transects au départ de pylones où se trouvaient des nids de Grand Corbeau. De façon analogue, 47 sites de contrôle ont été étudiés le long de transects au départ de pylones dépourvus de nids. Les deux types de transects ne différaient pas quant au nombre de lièvres recensés. Le facteur principal influençant l'occurrence de lièvres dans l'espace agricole s'est avéré être la diversité de l'habitat.

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Tryjanowski, P. Does the european hareLepus europaeus avoid ravenCorvus corax nests in farmland?. Zeitschrift für Jagdwissenschaft 47, 63–66 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02242414

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