Effect of landscape structure on nest site selection and nesting success of grey partridge Perdix perdix in western Poland

Bibliografia na stronach 246-247

Strony 239-247 : ilustracje ; 27 cm

Pages 239-247 : illustrations ; 27 cm

Bibliographical references (pages 246-247)

The effect of agricultural landscape structure (size of crop fields, occurrence of permanent cover areas) on grey partridge Perdix perdix nest site selection and nesting success was studied in an area with high variation of crop field size, using radiotelemery (21 located nests, 31 nesting attempts observed) and dummy nests (n = 240). Partridges preferred permanent cover as nesting site, but in areas with smaller crop fields and lower proportion of permanent cover areas a tendency to nest in crops, mostly in cereals, was observed. In partridge home ranges, where nesting attempts were successful, average length of permanent cover areas without trees was higher than in ones with lost nests. Predation of dummy nests was higher in permanent cover than in cereals, but survival index of dummy nests situated in permanent cover increased with increasing length of permanent cover areas in study plots.