The European Birds Directive (2009/147/EC) states that migratory game birds are not hunted ‘during their return to their rearing grounds’, therefore, for each huntable species, Member States shall assess the 10-day period (TDP) in which the pre-nuptial migration starts. For birds wintering in Europe, the onset of northward movements cannot be easily defined. In Italy, the song thrush (Turdus philomelos) is among the most representative game bird species hunted during December and January. The Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) declares that thrush migration begins in the first decade of January, while the hunting associations report that the thrushes do not leave before February. The present work focuses on the first year of study of the Argosbased satellite telemetry system applied on Song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) carried out in Puglia in order to obtain more information on the pre-reproductive migration period, on the migratory routes and on the areas of origin of the specimens wintering in Southern Italy. During the wintering period (mid-January 2022) 4 Song Thrushes were captured with nets in a large protected area near Laterza (TA) and promptly each of them was equipped with satellite transmitters. Among these, a non-functioning device was identified from the very first hours, therefore this subject was excluded from the trial. The other 3 transmitters worked regularly until the end of the observation period, set for mid-June. The three reported birds recorded their last presence in Italy on 23rd and 25th March and on 5th April, respectively. Two thrushes seem to have stopped to nest in Hungary (near the border with Ukraine, about 1100 km from Laterza) and in Romania (near the border with Moldova, about 950 km from Laterza), with movements of about 1 km, while the third one moved about 4000 km, also according to the North-East direction since arrive near Ural Mountains. These preliminary results also provide indications of the efficacy and safety of satellite devices used for the study of song thrush migration. Furthermore, one of the devices is still in operation 11 months after its application, thus proving to be a promising device that will be under investigation during the whole winter season 2023.
Preliminary result of argos-based satellite telemetry on migration of 4 song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) captured in Apulia Region
Simona Tarricone
;Maria Antonietta Colonna;Giuseppe La Gioia;Massimo Lacitignola;
2023-01-01
Abstract
The European Birds Directive (2009/147/EC) states that migratory game birds are not hunted ‘during their return to their rearing grounds’, therefore, for each huntable species, Member States shall assess the 10-day period (TDP) in which the pre-nuptial migration starts. For birds wintering in Europe, the onset of northward movements cannot be easily defined. In Italy, the song thrush (Turdus philomelos) is among the most representative game bird species hunted during December and January. The Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) declares that thrush migration begins in the first decade of January, while the hunting associations report that the thrushes do not leave before February. The present work focuses on the first year of study of the Argosbased satellite telemetry system applied on Song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) carried out in Puglia in order to obtain more information on the pre-reproductive migration period, on the migratory routes and on the areas of origin of the specimens wintering in Southern Italy. During the wintering period (mid-January 2022) 4 Song Thrushes were captured with nets in a large protected area near Laterza (TA) and promptly each of them was equipped with satellite transmitters. Among these, a non-functioning device was identified from the very first hours, therefore this subject was excluded from the trial. The other 3 transmitters worked regularly until the end of the observation period, set for mid-June. The three reported birds recorded their last presence in Italy on 23rd and 25th March and on 5th April, respectively. Two thrushes seem to have stopped to nest in Hungary (near the border with Ukraine, about 1100 km from Laterza) and in Romania (near the border with Moldova, about 950 km from Laterza), with movements of about 1 km, while the third one moved about 4000 km, also according to the North-East direction since arrive near Ural Mountains. These preliminary results also provide indications of the efficacy and safety of satellite devices used for the study of song thrush migration. Furthermore, one of the devices is still in operation 11 months after its application, thus proving to be a promising device that will be under investigation during the whole winter season 2023.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
