Iñigo Zuberogoitia

Estudios Medioambientales Icarus S.L. · Medio Natural

Although once considered uncommon, there is growing evidence of widespread senescence in wildlife populations. However, few studies have examined the traits involved, inter-sexual differences, and environmental correlates of age-specific performance in raptors. We studied age-specific reproductive performance and actuarial senescence (decrease in s...

Partial migration is one of the most widespread migratory strategies among taxa. Investigating the trade-off between environmental/social factors — fitness and energetic consequences — is essential to understand the coexistence of migratory and resident behaviours. Here, we compiled field monitoring data of wintering population size and telemetry d...

Carrion production is one of the most crucial yet neglected and understudied processes in food webs and ecosystems. In this study, we performed a large-scale estimation of the maximum potential production and spatial distribution of ungulate carrion biomass from five major sources in penin-sular Spain, both anthropogenic (livestock, big game huntin...

In bi-parentally built nests, there is evidence to suggest that nests are extended phenotypic signals that accurately indicate the quality of the building parent/s. Raptors often use a variety of materials to build their nests (natural, such as branches, but also non-natural objects), presumably due to their insulating properties, their suitability...

Partial migration is one of the most widespread migratory strategies among taxa. Investigating the trade-off between environmental/social factors - fitness and energetic consequences – is essential to understand the coexistence of migratory and resident behaviours. Here, we compiled field monitoring data of wintering population size and telemetry d...

Many species show spatial variation in body size, often associated with climatic patterns. Studying species with contrasting geographical patterns related to climate might help elucidate the role of different drivers. We analysed changes in the body mass of two sympatric medium-sized carnivores—pine marten ( Martes martes ) and stone marten ( Marte...

Raptors often use a variety of materials to build their nests (natural, such as branches, but also non-natural objects), presumably due to their insulating properties, their suitability to advertise occupancy of the nest, and to decrease pathogen and parasite loads. The amount of branches used in a nest is an indicator of parental quality and is of...

Natural habitats are being altered and destroyed worldwide due to urbanization, leading to a decrease in species abundance and richness. Nevertheless, some species, including tawny owls, have successfully colonized this novel habitat. Consequences at the population level have not been described; thus, our main objective was to describe the effects...

Anthropized landscapes are characterized by various human activities related to resource extraction, recreational activities, and urbanization, among others. Conservation of species living in such landscapes is challenging due to the lack of compatibility between wildlife and human needs, which can create win-lose scenarios for target species. Ther...

Natal dispersal, the movement between the birth and the first breeding site, has been rarely studied in long-lived territorial birds with a long-lasting pre-breeding stage. Here we benefited from the long-term monitoring programs of six populations of Egyptian vultures ( Neophron percnopterus ) from Spain and France to study how the rearing environ...

After conducting replicated counts of migratory waterbirds at a given wetland, some authors choose to compute the mean abundance throughout the study period, whereas others report the peak value or the cumulative total. Here, we use fictitious and real examples to illustrate how some of these procedures can lead to distorted conclusions. For specie...

Abstract Partial migration, whereby some individuals migrate and some do not, is relatively common and widespread among animals. Switching between migration tactics (from migratory to resident or vice versa) occurs at individual and population levels. Here, we describe for the first time the movement ecology of the largest wintering population of E...

Aim Our specific objectives were to (a) estimate detection probabilities of nocturnal bird species, after taking into account survey‐specific covariates, and (b) investigate the influence of site‐specific covariates on owl and nightjar abundance, integrating effects of imperfect detection. Innovation We conceived a survey protocol to estimate prob...

En este trabajo se desarrolló un protocolo de censo a gran escala para obtener datos actuales de las aves nocturnas y que sirva de base para futuros trabajos. El área de estudio, Euskadi, se dividió en cuadrículas UTM de 5x5 km de las que se escogieron 65 que representaban todos los tipos de vegetación. Dentro de cada cuadrícula se seleccionaron 8...

Capsule: Differences in parental investment between sexes and stage of the breeding period were found in Bonelli’s Eagles Aquila fasciata. Aims: To describe the sexual differences in parental behaviour of Bonelli’s Eagles and to assess the sex-specific pattern of variation in parental investment in relation to the breeding period. Methods: Betwee...

Capsule: In Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus, both sexes invested similar parental effort throughout the breeding period. However, there was variation in the degree of intensity of parental care during some stages of the breeding period, suggesting that sex-role specialization exists for some activities. Aims: To quantify parental care behav...

In the geographic range of a species, environmental conditions vary greatly and in order to adapt to this variation, animals change their ecology, behaviour and/or morphological traits. Based on Bergmann’s rule, animals should adapt their body size to the accelerating climate change in the last few decades. However, do changes in climate conditions...

To properly use vocalizations for the estimation of owl population size, it is important to identify how environmental factors affect owl calling behaviour. Here, we analyze how intrinsic and extrinsic factors modify vocal activity of Tawny Owls Strix aluco in two areas of Northern Spain. From March 2013 to May 2015, we radio‐tracked 20 Tawny Owls...

We examined copulatory behaviour in the Bonelli´s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) at nesting sites in the eastern zone of the Baetic Cordillera, southern Spain, between 2010 and 2012. We observed the copulatory behaviour of 15 pairs during the pre-laying period. Bonelli´s Eagles commenced sexual activity ca. 69 days before egg-laying. Ninety-six percent of...

The traditional breeding distribution of Cooper’s Hawk extends from southern Canada to northern Mexico. Outside the breeding season, it can be seen throughout Mexico, where it is listed under special protection by national laws. During the 2017-2018 breeding seasons, we regularly observed Cooper’s Hawks in the city of Puebla, in central Mexico. In...

We monitored Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) population in Bizkaia, Northern Spain, during two decades (1998-2017). Our population increased from 34 to 47 territorial pairs, as did other European populations until the first years of the 21 st century, and then declined until 34 territorial pairs in 2017. The combination of catastrophic events (...

Over a two-year period (2013-2015), we trapped and radio-tracked 20 Tawny Owls at two study sites in northern Spain. We obtained 4257 radio-tracking locations, 328 of which were associated with vocal activity. Home ranges were significantly different between the two study sites (95% minimum convex polygon (MCP) = 125.79 ha vs. 95% MCP = 50.96 ha)....

Raptors are limited by suitable breeding habitat, and they have specific nest-site requirements. Habitats of high quality presumably have the resources required to sustain relatively high rates of survival and reproduction. High-quality individuals would occupy territories of higher quality and would have greater fitness. Many birds may use their o...

The European mink (Mustela lutreola) is one of the most threatened mammals of Europe. Its present distribution is limited to three isolated areas: northern Spain and western France, the Danube delta in Romania, and Ukraine and Russia. Hunting pressure, habitat loss and the impact of the alien American mink (Neovison vison) have all been proposed as...

Moult is one of three major events in the annual cycle of birds. However, in contrast to breeding and migration, relatively few studies have been carried out on this topic. This is particularly the case with the large group of birds of prey and is partly a consequence of a general lack of appreciation of the relevance of moult within the life cycle...

Anthropogenic activities are one of the main threats to species living in human‐dominated landscapes and can promote behavioral changes in birds. This paper presents a novel approach to test how a migratory species responds to habitat alterations occurring in nesting territories during winter, when the species is absent. From 2000 to 2016, we colla...

We analysed variation in ten polymorphic microsatellite loci and a portion of cytochrome b gene of mitochondrial DNA in 65 samples from four populations of Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus peregrinus and F. p. brookei) breeding in Northern and Southern Italy, Northern Spain and the Czech Republic to assess genetic diversity in the poorly investig...

We report the first cases of polygyny for the Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus in the central Pyrenees, Spain. Although polyandry is frequent in the study area (31.8% of all reproductive units in 2016), we only observed the occurrence of three cases of polygyny over the period 1994-2017. Polygyny in Bearded Vultures is possibly a consequence of ha...

La monogamia es el sistema reproductivo más común entre las aves rapaces, aunque existen otros modos alternativos como la poliginia, la poliandria y la crianza cooperativa. La cría cooperativa ha sido documentada al menos en 22 de 76 géneros y 42 de 304 especies de aves rapaces diurnas. Sin embargo, la poliginia (i.e., cuando una hembra se aparea s...

Experienced males invest more time incubating

Incubation involves a transfer of heat between parent and embryo. The brood patch is pressed against one surface of the egg, and warming occurs as a result of adjustments in both blood flow through the brood patch and heat production by the parent. A brood patch normally develops in both sexes in bird species where incubation is biparental. But, in...

The European mink is a critically endangered mustelid with only three declining and isolated populations. Based on particular interpretation of genetic studies, the origin of SW population (France and Spain) and its conservation measures were recently questioned, and considered an example of managed relocation. The four published genetic studies sh...

The EU NON-NATIVE SPECIES RISK ANALYSIS – RISK ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE for Neovison vison was made as an argument to introduce this species on the EU Invasive Alien Species list. The first Union list of 37 plant and animal species was introduced in August 2016 and another 12 were added in August 2017. However, this accounts for just 3% of all IAS belie...

Birds of prey have been, in comparison to other avian groups, an uncommon study model, mainly due to the limitations imposed by their conservative life strategy (low population density and turnover). Nonetheless, they have attracted a strong interest from the point of view of conservation biology because many populations have been close to extincti...

Mechanisms regulating colour polymorphism remain largely unknown and detailed investigation is required to explore the biological consequences on population dynamics. This paper presents the first study of the possible connection between colour polymorphism and productivity in a Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata) population breeding in southeastern Spai...

Analysis of the 949 and 434 cases of mortality of Booted Eagle Aquila pennata and Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus, respectively, recorded by wildlife rehabilitation centres in Spain over a 16-year period (1990–2006) shows that power lines (19.5 and 35.2 %, respectively) and killing (32.5 and 22.9 %, respectively) were the main known cause...

Climate change affects the climatic disturbance patterns and regimes and is altering the frequency and intensity of subtropical cyclones. These events can affect population dynamics of seabirds (e.g., survival, reproduction). In this work we tested the effect of adverse weather on a colony of European storm petrels (Hydrobates pelagicus) located in...

Uncovering the genetic basis of phenotypic variation and the population history under which it established is key to understand the trajectories along which local adaptation evolves. Here, we investigated the genetic basis and evolutionary history of a clinal plumage color polymorphism in European barn owls (Tyto alba). Our results suggest that bar...

Moult is an extremely time-consuming and energy-demanding task for large birds. In addition, there is a trade-off between the time devoted to moulting and that invested in other activities such as breeding and/or territory exploration. Moreover, it takes a long time to grow a long feather in large birds, and large birds that need to fly while moult...

All animals face the decision of where to breed, a decision that exerts a strong impact on fitness. We examined changes in choice of nest site in peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) over a 17-year period in northern Spain. Falcons had a mean of 3.1 eyries per territory, each location used for a mean of 3.0 consecutive years. Surprisingly, change i...

The breeding performance of birds of prey is often related to changes in rainfall, which affects the productivity of the environment and the availability of food and may thereby affect chick survival. We investigated the influence of rainfall on the productivity of two populations of Booted Eagle Aquila pennata in two Spanish Mediterranean regions—...

We studied the effects of age on breeding performance and survival probability in a peregrine falcon population, using data from a long term monitoring programme (carried out over 16 yr), in which we were able to identify individual birds. We compared the breeding performance and survival of yearling breeders, first-time adult breeders and adult br...

Ungulate vehicle collisions (UVC) provoke serious damage, including human casualties, and a large number of measures have been developed around the world to avoid collisions. We analyse the main factors involved in UVC in a road network built in the absence of ungulates, where mitigation structures to avoid UVC were not adequately considered. Ungul...

This paper presents the first study of foraging behaviour and hunting success in Bonelli's Eagle. Attack success was modelled as a function of biological and environmental variables using observations made during a long-term monitoring. The overall attack success was 28.2%, based on 110 attack observations recorded between 1985 and 2008 in south-ea...

Dispersal affects the distribution, dynamics and genetic structure of natural populations, and can be significantly different between sexes. However, literature records dealing with the dispersal of migratory birds are scarce, as migratory behaviour can notably complicate the study of dispersal. We used the barn swallow Hirundo rustica as model tax...

This paper presents the first study of foraging behaviour and hunting success in Bonelli's Eagle. Attack success was modelled as a function of biological and environmental vari-ables using observations made during a long-term monitoring. The overall attack success was 28.2%, based on 110 attack observations recorded between 1985 and 2008 in south-e...

Evolution by natural selection depends on the relationship between individual traits and fitness. Variation in individual fitness can result from habitat (territory) quality and individual variation. Individual quality and specialization can have a deep impact on fitness, yet in most studies on territorial species the quality of territory and indiv...