feeding ecology of the scops owl otus scops aves strigiformes in the island of pianosa tuscan archipelago central italy outside the breeding period

ABSTRACTAll of the published studies but one about the diet of the Eurasian scops owl Otus scops, a nocturnal raptor of conservation concern, were carried out during the breeding period, just before or immediately after the chicks fledged. The species is a trans-Saharian migrant with few resident populations in Europe. Orthoptera make up the staple of its diet in summer. In this study, we investigated the diet of scops owls on the island of Pianosa after the breeding period through the analysis of pellets. A total of 327 fragments belonging to at least 14 taxa were identified from 56 pellets collected after the breeding period, between late August and March. By frequency, invertebrates constituted 80.00% of the diet, with Coleoptera being the most represented order (62.35% of the total diet) and Orthoptera poorly represented (8.24%). Vertebrates included two bird species, three small mammals and the Moorish gecko. Although the meal-to-pellet interval for scops owls is unknown, we suggest that the bank vol..

Oscheius tipulae in Italy: Evidence of an Alien Isolate in the Integral Natural Reserve of Montecristo Island (Tuscany)

Montecristo Island is an integral natural reserve of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park (Central Italy), characterized by a peculiar assemblage of flora and fauna, with several endemic taxa, and also with a high number of alien species. During a soil survey, we found an alien Oscheius tipulae Lam & Webster, 1971 isolate, phylogenetically close to others from South America. In this article, we examined the possible pathways of introduction of this nematode. Because of the high number of alien plants in this protected area and the low desiccation survival ability of O. tipulae, we hypothesized that the presence of this alien nematode isolate may be related to the soil of introduced plants, although historical association with plant-associated invertebrates is also possible. Further studies with more populations and marker molecules are necessary to investigate the distribution of O. tipulae and the possible impact on this natural reserve

Low establishment success of alien non-passerine birds in a Central Italy wetland (Selva di Paliano: Latium)

Abstract: The establishment success of exotic populations is typically analyzed as a binary response (success/failure), with the route taken by populations to their eventual outcome only rarely considered. This is especially true for wild populations, as well as for failed introductions. Therefore, we present a brief analysis of failed introductions of non-passerine bird species in a wetland of Central Italy. Only four species were able to reproduce independently from humans, but three of them went rapidly extinct because of poaching. The grey-headed swamphen Porphyrio p. poliocephalus, native to Western India and Pakistan, is the only species still present within the study area, despite the fact that it is in substantial decline. This high extinction rate may be due to (i) low propagule pressure, (ii) strict dependence on food supplied by man, (iii) poaching and (iv) lack of suitable nesting sites. Our study provides new evidence for the hypotheses that establishment success has been long overestimated, and that propagule pressure is a critical parameter in promoting the establishment of a non-native species in a new territory