Gender determination in Swainson´s hawk (buteo swainsoni) using molecular procedures and discriminant function analysis

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A timeline for the urbanization of wild birds: The case of the lesser kestrel

The Lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) evolved as a separate species in the Old-World kestrel radiation starting in the late Miocene. Given that the first cities were erected in the Holocene, this urban colonial raptor has only become a major town dweller recently in its evolutionary history. Today, more than 95% of lesser kestrel colonies in Spain and other Mediterranean countries are on buildings, and the remaining few are on rocky outcrops, that may have been the original nesting substrate for this cavity-nesting bird. Lesser kestrel fossils are well represented in cave sites, and their paleontological distribution, spanning from the Early Paleolithic to the Epipaleolithic, agrees well with its current breeding distribution. According to classical sources, such as the works of Columella and Pliny the Elder, and the presence of a skeletal remain in a Roman villa near Madrid, lesser kestrels may have nested in buildings and in urban settings for at least 2000–2500 years. However, there are no surviving colonies in structures older than 1400 years in Andalusia, nor in Spain. For a sample of 349 colonies on ancient buildings, a majority of the structures had been erected between the 15th and 17th centuries, this putting a time limit of about 300-600 years to the existence of those seemingly immemorial colonies. For specific towns and buildings, written references for the presence of lesser kestrel colonies do not go back more than two centuries. In fact, the Cathedral of Sevilla may be the structure with the longest continuous occupation by lesser kestrels recorded up to present time, from 1834 to 2020. Lesser kestrels were possibly too common in human settlements in the past as to be noted as special. This may explain the scarcity of references to the species until the 19th century. In any case, the same lack of information affects the other major Eurasian urban birds, as no timeline exist for the urbanization process of any other bird species. We propose that lesser kestrels became urban breeders when both adequate cavities in buildings and cereal fields, where they capture their invertebrate prey, became available in their breeding range, several millennia ago. However, urban colonies, in contrast with the ones on stable geological substrates, have been forced to move from building to building when older ones became ruinous or were rebuilt, but new structures with suitable cavities became available throughout History

Efectos de radio-emisores de cola en cernícalos primilla adultos

[ENG]The behavior,b reeding successa nd survivalo f radio-taggeda nd non-radio-tagged (control) Lesser Kestrels (Falco naumanni) in southern Spain in 1989-1990 were compared. The copulation period, copulation rates and prey delivery rates to both mates and nestlings did not differ significantlyb etween radio-taggeda nd control individuals.I n addition, there were no differences in annual survival rates or breeding success between radio-tagged and control birds.[ESP]-Sec ompararon aspectosd e comportamiento,6 xito reproductor y supervivencia entre cernlcalosp rimillas (Falco naumanni) portadores de radiotransmisorese n la cola y otros marcados finicamente con anillas (controles) en el sur de Espafia en 1989-1990. E1 periodo de c6pulas, la frecuencia de las mismas, asi como las tasas de cebas de pareja y a los pollos no se diferenci6 significativamentee ntre los individuosp ortadoresd e radiotransmisoresy los controles.T ampoco se detectaron diferenciase n las tasasd e supervivenciaa nual y 6xito reproductivo entre los dos grupos comparados.Peer reviewe

Feral Animal Populations: Separating Threats from Opportunities

Feral animals are those that live in the wild but are descendants of domesticated populations. Although, in many cases, these feral populations imply a demonstrable risk to the ecosystems in which they live and may conflict with local wild species and human activities, there are feral populations that are considered worth preserving and, in some cases, they already enjoy protection by interest groups and even public authorities. In this review, we aim to identify valuable populations using three criteria: (a) Genetic conservation value (for instance, if the wild ancestor is extinct), (b) the niche occupancy criterion and, finally, (c) a cultural criterion. We propose a detailed analysis of feral populations under scrutiny, supporting control measures when necessary, but also allowing for international protection at the same level as wild animals for feral taxa of special concern. Feral taxa, which are already in the focus of conservation efforts, and should be awarded extended recognition and protection, mainly include ancient lineages with relevant genetic or cultural importance

Generation of raptor diversity in Europe: linking speciation with climate changes and the ability to migrate

Europe holds a rich community of diurnal birds of prey, and the highest proportion of transcontinental migratory raptorial species of any landmass. This study will test the hypotheses that the high diversification of the raptor assemblage in Europe is a recent event, that closely related species sharing the same trophic niches can only coexist in sympatry during the breeding period, when food availability is higher, and finally that migration is a function of size, with the smaller species in every trophic group moving further. A consensus molecular phylogeny for the 38 regular breeding species of raptors in Europe was obtained from BirdTree (www.birdtree.org). For the same species, a trophic niche cluster dendrogram was constructed. Size and migratory strategy were introduced in the resulting phylogeny, where trophic groups were also identified. Multispecific trophic groups tended to be composed of reciprocal sister species of different sizes, while monospecific groups (n = 3) were composed of highly specialized species. Many speciation events took place recently, during the glacial cycles of the Quaternary, and size divergence among competing species may be due to character displacement. Nowadays, the smaller species in every trophic group migrate to sub-Saharan Africa. This investigation illustrates how the rich assemblage of diurnal birds of prey in Europe, more diverse and more migratory than, for instance, the North American assemblage at equivalent latitudes, has emerged recently due to the multiplication of look-alike species with similar trophic ecologies, possibly in climate refugia during cold periods

Cyanobacteria distribution and abundance in the Spanish water reservoirs during thermal stratification

A study of the distribution and abundance of Cyanobacteria in 47 Spanish water reservoirs revealed a significant correlation between these algae and total phosphorus in the water. Cyanobacteria distribution was related to the N:P ratio, and they were scarce when the atomic ratio of total inorganic N / total P exceeded 50. The N:P ratio was influenced by the geology of the catchment, and it was lower in the solute-poor waters of western Iberian Peninsula, where Cyanobacteria were more abundant (mainly the Nostocales). Therefore, this area would be more prone to present problems derived from Cyanobacteria proliferation than the eastern part of Spain. In the studied reservoirs we have recorded 45 taxa of Cyanobacteria, many of which can produce toxins. A comparison of our results with those of previous studies served to conclude that Cyanobacteria have increased both in biomass and species number in Spanish reservoirs.El estudio de la distribución y abundancia de Cianobacterias en 47 embalses españoles reveló una correlación significativa entre estas algas y la concentración de fósforo total en el agua. La distribución de Cianobacterias estuvo relacionada con el cociente N:P, siendo generalmente poco abundantes cuando la relación atómica N inorgánico total / P total fue superior a 50. La relación N:P en el agua está influenciada por la geología de la cuenca, y fue menor en las aguas menos mineralizadas del oeste de la Península Ibérica, donde las cianobacterias fueron más abundantes (especialmente las nostocales). Por lo tanto, esta zona de la península Ibérica sería más propensa a sufrir problemas relacionados con la proliferación de Cianobacterias que la zona este de España. En los embalses estudiados hemos encontrado 45 taxones de Cianobacterias, muchas de las cuales pueden producir toxinas. La comparación de nuestros resultados con estudios realizados previamente sirvió para concluir que en los embalses españoles se ha producido un aumento del número de especies y de la biomasa de Cianobacterias

El perfil de playa biparabólico: validación y aplicación al litoral gaditano

El perfil de equilibrio en playas es una herramienta muy utilizada en ingeniería de costas y relativamente de fácil aplicación. Quizás por ello, se ha tendido a “universalizar” su aplicación, especialmente con el perfil de Dean (1977) y Vellinga (1983), perfiles por otro lado muy parecidos, y que responden a lo que denominaríamos “Escuelas Americana y Holandesa”. La “Escuela Española” (González 1995, Bernabeu 1999, Gómez Pina, 1995, 2001) obtuvo expresiones de tipo biparabólico para perfiles en mares con marea

Cosmetic colouring by Bearded Vultures Gypaetus barbatus: still no evidence for an antibacterial function

Bearded Vultures regularly visit ferruginous springs for cosmetic purposes to obtain their reddish plumage colouration. Different hypotheses have been proposed to explain this deliberate application of adventitious colouration: (1) to signal individual dominance status; (2) to exploit an anti-bacterial effect of iron oxides or ochre to reduce feather degradation by bacteria and, in parallel (3) to enable incubating birds to transfer this protection to their developing embryos to increase hatching success. Here, we re-evaluate the antibacterial hypothesis using three experimental approaches: (a) by applying feather-degrading bacteria to stained and unstained bearded vulture feathers; (b) by assessing the antibacterial activity of ochre; and (c) by comparing the breeding success of orange individuals with pale ones. Our findings suggest that the in vitro addition of feather degrading Bacillus licheniformis to naturally stained Bearded Vulture feathers did not retard feather degradation compared to controls. Iron particles from red soil (ochre) or iron salts had no antibacterial effect on the growth of three species of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Kocuria rhizophila and Bacillus licheniformis), incubated either in the dark or under visible light. Finally, breeding success did not differ between territories occupied by pale individuals versus orange ones. These results run counter to the hypothesis that iron oxides have an antibacterial role in Bearded Vultures. The use of red soils by Bearded Vultures may function as a territorial status signal, but may also be involved in other processes, such as pair formation and the long-term maintenance of the pair bond, as suggested for the closely related Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus

Modelling the TB spatial risk in a complex multi-host system assessed by drones

Trabajo presentado a la VI International M. bovis Conference, celebrada en Cardiff (Reino Unido) del 16 al 19 de junio de 2014.The present work has benefited from the financial aid of research grants JCCM (PEII10-0262-7673), MINECO (AGL2010-20730‐C02‐01), Aeromab Project (P07‐RNM‐03246), and the PLANET Project (EU, Cooperation, 7th FP, 2010). J.A.B. holds an FPU pre‐doctoral scholarship. P.A. is supported by MINECO‐UCLM through ‘Ramón y Cajal’ contract (RYC‐2012‐11970) and partly by EMIDA‐ERA‐NET grant APHAEA (219235‐FP7‐ERA‐NET‐EMIDA; www.aphaea.eu). Acknowledgements We would like to thank E. Guerrero and M.A. Aguilar, the pilots and technicians who controlled the UAS and prepared the image mosaic. The present work has benefited from the financial aid of research grants JCCM (PEII10‐0262‐7673), MINECO (AGL2010‐20730‐C02‐01), Aeromab Project (P07‐RNM‐03246), and the PLANET Project (EU, Cooperation, 7th FP, 2010). J.A.B. holds an FPU pre‐doctoral scholarship. P.A. is supported by MINECO‐UCLM through ‘Ramón y Cajal’ contract (RYC‐2012‐11970) and partly by EMIDA‐ERA‐NET grant APHAEA (219235‐FP7‐ERA‐NET‐EMIDA; www.aphaea.eu).Peer Reviewe