Abstract
Stopover sites are of vital importance for migrating birds, especially long-distance migrant species. This study describes a wetland in NW Spain, as a particular habitat used by the Aquatic Warbler, one of the most threatened passeriformes in Europe, during postnuptial migration. It is a recently abandoned gravel-pit with an artificial water regime, a large area of standing water and a mosaic of vegetation predominated by a rush-meadow of Juncus effusus and a cattail community of Typha domingensis, a priori very favourable conditions for the Aquatic Warbler. The Acrola index value for this locality is very high, and together with some of the results including mean stopover period, fattening rate, interannual site fidelity and calculated potential flight distances, indicates that the mosaic of plant communities offers good conditions as a refuelling site for the Aquatic Warbler. Nevertheless, in only 3 years a process of homogenization has been observed in the vegetation, where rush-meadow cover has decreased noticeably and cattail and willow cover have increased. This process caused a decrease in the Acrola index throughout 2008–2010, as well as a significant decrease in the importance of this wetland with regard to others in Spain. Significant differences were found in body condition between the two age groups: adults are heavier and obtain more body fat, which provides them with greater potential flight autonomy. Although gravel pits can act as alternative wetlands, rapid changes in plant communities succession requires more active management than in the case of natural wetlands.
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Acknowledgments
Our thanks to the members of the Grupo Ibérico de Anillamiento (GIA-León) and the volunteers who helped during sampling, particularly Héctor Astiárraga, who discovered the wetland. We also thank Francisco García and Alejandra Morán for their help with the statistical analysis; to Juan Arizaga and Dariusz Jakubas for providing the bibliography; to Carlos Pérez, Azaitz Unanue, Paloma Peón and Vicente González for their comments and data ringing sites; and to Catherine Martin and Álvaro Rada for her English language revision. Licences for the trapping and ringing of birds were obtained from the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente of Spain and the Junta de Castilla y León.
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Miguélez, D., García, J., Castro, V. et al. Use of an abandoned gravel-pit in inland Spain as a stopover site for the Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola . Wetlands Ecol Manage 23, 855–864 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-015-9424-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-015-9424-4