Investigating the wintering eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) dynamics in central italy
Author(s)
Date Issued
2023
Type
conferenceObject
Abstract
The Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) is a species of high and widespread hunting interest and although the species has been recently confirmed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN, the limited available information about its population size and dynamics in Europe raise concerns regarding its actual conservation status. The Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences planned and coordinated a multi-year monitoring project, involving skilled personnel and expecialized pointing dogs with the aim to assess the relative abundance index (ICA) of the subpopulation wintering in central Italy (Lazio region) and evaluating its interand intra-annual trends. ICA is defined as the number of woodcocks sighted during a 3.5 hour counting session. Through a stratified sampling procedure, 234 sampling units (SU) have been identified, evenly distributed between hunting
(H) and non-hunting (NH) areas. The survey method was standardized, employing a maximum of 2 skilled observers with 2 pointing dogs with specific qualification per SU. Three counting sessions were conducted in January, and one session per week between February 1st and March 15th. Descriptive and variance analysis have been performed, using management type (H or NH), phytoclimatic band, month, and decade as variables and grouping factors. Between the years 2019 and 2022, the ICA, showed an increasing trend in both H and NH areas. The ICA is significantly affected (p<0.05) by the hunting management, with higher values in NH areas compared to H ones. Our results describe the absence of significant ICA variations traceable to pre-nuptial migratory movements before the month of February.
Keywords: abundance; monitoring; pointing dogs; pre-nuptial migration; woodcock
Conference(s)
4th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE on Agriculture and Life Sciences (ICOALS 4) Tirana 2023