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Habitat selection and ontogeny of habitat use by juvenile Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia revealed by GPS tracking

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2022

Manuela S. Rodrigues Open the ORCID record for Manuela S. Rodrigues [Opens in a new window] ,
Pedro M. Araújo Open the ORCID record for Pedro M. Araújo [Opens in a new window] ,
João P. Silva Open the ORCID record for João P. Silva [Opens in a new window] ,
José M. Abad-Gómez Open the ORCID record for José M. Abad-Gómez [Opens in a new window] ,
Pedro C. Rodrigues Open the ORCID record for Pedro C. Rodrigues [Opens in a new window] ,
Jaime A. Ramos Open the ORCID record for Jaime A. Ramos [Opens in a new window]  and
José A. Alves Open the ORCID record for José A. Alves [Opens in a new window]
Manuela S. Rodrigues*
Affiliation:
DBIO & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3800 Aveiro, Portugal University of Coimbra, MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Pedro M. Araújo
Affiliation:
University of Coimbra, MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
João P. Silva
Affiliation:
CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
José M. Abad-Gómez
Affiliation:
Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
Pedro C. Rodrigues
Affiliation:
Escola Superior de Educação & inED, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias 602, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Jaime A. Ramos
Affiliation:
University of Coimbra, MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
José A. Alves
Affiliation:
DBIO & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3800 Aveiro, Portugal University of Iceland, South Iceland Research Centre, 840 Laugarvatn, Iceland
*
*Author for correspondence: Manuela S. Rodrigues, Email: manuelarodrigues@ua.pt
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Summary

Despite the widely recognized value of wetlands in providing vital ecosystem services, these are presently being degraded and ultimately destroyed, leading to a decrease in the biodiversity associated with these areas. Some species inextricably linked to wetlands, however, have been increasing and (re)colonizing areas across their range; a notable example being the Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia. In this study we aimed to identify the most important habitats for juvenile spoonbills fledging from a traditional colony in Portugal, located in Ria Formosa, during the period of their life with the lowest survival rates: the first months after leaving the colony. We deployed 16 GPS/GSM tags on juveniles captured in different years (2016 to 2020) and tracked them during post-fledging dispersal and first winter (average 166.4 ± 29.2 SE days). Using Corine Land Cover data, we were able to identify which habitats were most important. Several habitats were used in variable proportions by individuals originating from the same colony, but there was a general trend towards using fewer habitats along the first months of life. Intertidal wetlands were the most used habitat, but anthropogenic habitats such as Wastewater Treatment Plants, saltpans and rice fields were identified as alternative habitats for young spoonbills, and may had contributed to the recent expansion of this species in Portugal.

Keywords

WetlandsAnthropogenic habitatsIndividual specialization
Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 33 , 2023 , e31
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International

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