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Status and structure of the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) population in Crete

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An Erratum to this article was published on 17 June 2006

Abstract

Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) population surveys were conducted during 1996–2002 in the island of Crete (Greece) to document population status and structure. Fieldwork was carried out during the breeding period when birds could be monitored in their colonies. Total population size was estimated at 379 individuals (range = 341–417) with adult birds comprising 63%. The breeding population was estimated at 141 pairs, which were distributed on an average in 23 colonies per year (range = 16–30) while the mean number of breeding pairs that laid eggs was 98 (range= 64–126). Crete thus supports the largest insular population of the species in the world and hosts 70–80% of the breeding population of the species in Greece. Population density was estimated at 6.9 individuals/100 km2, 2.6 breeding pairs/100 km2 and 1.8 nesting pairs/100 km2. The average home range of an occupied colony (i.e., breeding group) was estimated at ca. 204 km2 producing a theoretical foraging range of 8 km radius around the breeding cliff. No trends in the total number of individuals and breeding pairs appeared to exist, although significant differences in population size of individual colonies occurred between the years. The majority of the population was concentrated in small-sized colonies, which showed a low occupancy rate. The number of abandoned sites and the colonization of new ones could represent a shift of breeding pairs to alternative colonies provoked by local food abundance and conspesific attraction.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Costas Grivas and Giorgos Andreou for assistance in the fieldwork, two anonymous referees for their comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript and Margaret Eleftheriou for improving the English text. This study was supported by the University of Crete and the Ministry of Education through the PYTHAGORAS II research grants.

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  1. Biology Department, Natural History Museum of Crete, University of Crete, P.O. Box 2208, Heraklion 71409, Crete, Greece

    Stavros M. Xirouchakis & Moysis Mylonas

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  1. Stavros M. Xirouchakis
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  2. Moysis Mylonas
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Correspondence to Stavros M. Xirouchakis.

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An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10344-006-0035-5.

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Xirouchakis, S.M., Mylonas, M. Status and structure of the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) population in Crete. Eur J Wildl Res 51, 223–231 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-005-0101-4

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