Abstract
The endangered Cantabrian capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus cantabricus) lives at the southern edge of tetraonids’ distribution range, in entirely deciduous forests. Its conservation planning has been always lek-centred. There is very little information about the specific habitat requirements of hens and broods, even though reproductive success appears to be a limiting factor. We analysed summer surveys from 1997 to 2004, carried out to estimate the reproductive success of the population. We compared the habitat characteristics at different spatial scales of hens with broods, broodless hens, and cocks in summer, with the better known spring habitat in display areas. Summer habitat showed higher proportion of open areas and was associated with more rugged zones at moderate spatial scales (78 ha) than spring habitat at display areas. Cocks and hens showed summer habitat partitioning; hens were associated with higher proportions of open and shrubby habitats. Furthermore, broodless hens preferred areas with higher slope variability than the display and summer areas preferred by cocks. These differences may reflect the sexual dimorphism of the species in reproductive role, energetic demands and conspicuousness. At larger spatial scales a previously developed habitat suitability model performed well to predict good brood-rearing areas. Hens with broods were located in the best-preserved areas in the range, mainly characterized by higher proportion of forest cover at a large (50 km2) scale. We suggest that these characteristics indicate refuge habitats where Cantabrian capercaillie can still breed successfully.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Asturian Environmental Agency (Consejería de Medio Ambiente del Principado de Asturias), and specifically Alejandro González and Orencio Hernández, for providing access to the original technical reports of the summer capercaillie drives. We also thank José Luis Benito, the coordinator of the summer drives and author of corresponding technical reports. Alberto Fernández-Gil, José Carral, Fernando Rodríguez Pérez and Victor Vega provided additional summer data. We are especially grateful to the forest rangers of the Asturian environmental authority with whom we have collaborated for several years. We also thank Fernando González Taboada, for statistical discussion, and Alberto Fernández-Gil, for a thoughtful review of the manuscript. Christine Francis edited the English. This study was funded by a grant (CN-05-018) from the Asturian Environmental Agency to J.R. Obeso.
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Communicated by F. Bairlein.
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Bañuelos, MJ., Quevedo, M. & Obeso, JR. Habitat partitioning in endangered Cantabrian capercaillie Tetrao urogallus cantabricus . J Ornithol 149, 245–252 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-007-0267-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-007-0267-5