Rubén Barone

Identifying ecological requirements, species diversity patterns and distribution ranges of habitats of interest is an important task when developing conservation and restoration programs. The Canarian juniper woodland formed by Juniperus turbinata ssp. canariensis is listed as a priority habitat by the European Union. Although very common in the pa...

We present data on 12 bird species observed on Fogo, Cape Verde Islands, among them two first records for the island (Common Redshank Tringa totanus and Common House Martin Delichon urbicum), the first breeding records of Cape Verde Swift Apus alexandri and the first reliable observations of Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus indicating proba...

This is a book on the thermophilous woodlands of Macaronesia (Canary Islands, Madeira, and Cape Verde), which covers all the different communities and types of this vegetation and explains their biodiversity, composition, general characteristics, etc.

Capsule: Flowers of an invasive plant species are more visited by native birds than flowers of ornithophilous endemic plants. Aims: To describe the bird guild and its behaviour visiting the century plant Agave americana in an insular environment and to determine which factors are affecting visitation rates. Methods: We noted number and species of b...

A book review about a monograph on the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) in UK.

A review of a book about the terrestrial fauna of the Azores archipelago.

A book review on a monograph about the terrestrial vertebrates of El Hierro Island, Canary Archipelago.

A small book about the birds of La Laguna municipality (Tenerife, Canary Islands), covering all the breeding species and some of the wintering and migrant taxa, shown by habitat.

Book reviews about 10 titles relating to the Natural History of the Macaronesian archipelagos and NW Africa (Morocco and Western Sahara). Published In Makaronesia, Number 24 (2022).

First breeding record of Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) for the island of Tenerife, Canaries. Three pairs of this heron successfully bred during the spring and summer of 2020 in a locality situated in the Northeast area of the aforementioned island.

A new article with book reviews of 10 titles, seven about the Macaronesian archipelagos, two on Northwest Africa (Morocco, Western Sahara and nearby countries) and an additional one covering Spain (including the Canaries) and some Spanish territories in North Africa.

A popular article on the "Veiled Blackcaps", the melanistic form of the Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla, found in the Macaronesian archipelagos (Azores, Madeira and the Canaries). Published in the journal Der Falke, vol. 68 (3), 2021.

An article on the history and fate of two giant reptiles from the Macaronesian archipelagos, the giant skink Chioninia coctei (Cape Verde Islands) and the giant lizard of Salmor Gallotia simonyi (El Hierro, Canary Islands). Published in Boletín de la Asociación Herpetológica Española, vol. 31, No. 2 (December 2020).

Book reviews of 10 recent titles, nine about the Macaronesian archipelagos and one on Northwest Africa (Morocco).

Tenerife Island is well-known for its biodiversity. It boasts the highest elevation in the Atlantic Ocean and its northern and southern slopes have varying moisture and temperature gradients. Consequently, there are multiple spatially discrete vegetation zones, or biomes, recognized on the island that roughly follow elevation. We investigated the e...

A brief text on the Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus appeared in the second European Breeding Bird Atlas (EBBA2)

Capsule: Acoustic analysis does not support the elevation of Central and Western Canary Islands subspecies of the Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus distinctus to full species. Aims: To verify whether the vocal repertoires of Eurasian Stone-curlew subspecies oedicnemus and distinctus show biologically significant quantitative and qualitative...

We document the first two records of Sora Porzana carolina for the Canary Islands, in Tenerife, in December 2015 and October 2019. There are at least 43 records of this rare, occasional species for the Western Palearctic, including nine in Macaronesia (Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands) and one in North Africa (Morocco).In Macaronesia, all observa...

Tenerife, the largest and most biodiverse of the Canary Islands, has six ecologically unique biomes that roughly follow elevation along its northern (windward) and southern (leeward) slopes. Moving downslope, these are peak ecosystem, summit scrub, pine forest, broad-leaved evergreen forest, thermophilous woodlands, and sub-desert coastal scrub. Th...

A book review about a monograph on the Bulwer's Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii) in Spain (Canary Islands)

A book review on a new guide about owls of Europe.

A study of the avifauna of an ecological corridor situated in the Northeast area of Tenerife (Canary Islands). Technical report developed for GESPLAN / Cabildo de Tenerife.

Capsule Acoustic analysis does not support the elevation of B. o. distinctus to full species. Aims To verify whether the vocal repertoires of B. o. oedicnemus and B. o. distinctus show biologically significant quantitative and qualitative differences. Methods Integration of acoustic analysis of some of the most frequently uttered call types recor...

A book review about a photographic guide of pelagic sebirds of the world.

A popular article on the avifauna of the "salinas" or saltpans of the Canary Islands and its conservation, with photos of bird species and habitats. Published in Rincones del Atlántico, number 10 (2019-2020).

A popular article on the Juniper (Juniperus turbinata ssp. canariensis) woodlands of the Canary Islands, with information and photos of different landscapes, trees, plant species and birds associated to this type of forests. There are also detailed maps showing the distribution of such woodlands in all the islands. Published in Rincones del Atlánti...

A note which shows an iconography of Viola anagae (Violaceae), a rare plant endemic to Tenerife, Canary Islands.

A preliminary analyisis of the voices of Eurasian Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) comparing continental areas (Italy) with insular populations (Gran Canaria and Tenerife, Canary Islands), and use of playback in order to obtain results after playing voices from the Canary Islands and continental Europe in a population located on Grosseto province...

A book review on a photographic book about birds of the Azores Islands (Portugal).

Cover photograph showing an image of the gecko Tarentola delalandii, endemic to the Canary Islands (Tenerife and La Palma).

Book reviews about eight different titles on the Macaronesian archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Canaries and Cape Verde Islands). Published in the bulletin Makaronesia, n. 20 (2018).

A book review of an illustrated guide on the animals (vertebrates and some groups of insects: Odonata and diurnal Lepidoptera) of Madeira and the Canary Islands.

A book review about a recent checklist of the avifauna of Umbria region (central Italy).

Published in Makaronesia (bulletin).

An article on the biodiversity of Sal island, in the Cape Verde archipelago, covering from coastal and marine life to terrestrial flora and vegetation, birds and reptiles, with an introduction to local landscape, scenery, geography and geology. Published in Makaronesia (bulletin).

A book on the laurel forests of Macaronesia (Canary Islands, Madeira, and Azores), explains the biodiversity, vegetation types, general characteristics, etc. of this ecosystem.

A short article on the species of Sorbus (family Rosaceae) living in the Macaronesian archipelagos (Madeira and the Canary Islands).

Summary: Recent field work in Gran Canaria and Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) yielded records for 30 alien taxa of Cactaceae that had not been reported before, either from the whole area, or from one of the islands. Out of these, 17 are considered locally naturalised and/or potentially invasive: Cylindropuntia bigelovii, C. fulgida, C. pallida, C...

A review of a small monograph on the "Desertas Islands" of the Cape Verde archipelago (Santa Luzia, Branco and Raso), a protected area which holds an important biodiversity, with some endangered, endemic species (e.g. reptiles and several birds).

Cover photograph showing an adult male of the lizard Gallotia galloti eisentrauti, endemic to Tenerife, Canary Islands.

Ailanthus altissima is an exotic, invasive species from North China. It has expanded over the world due to its ornamental value, to obtain wood and for fixing slopes, being an important invasive element thanks to its high reproductive rate and easy expansion. In this paper we offer data on the distribution of this species on Tenerife (34 population...

Contribution to the iconography of Kunkeliella retamoides A. Santos (Santalaceae), an endangered endemic plant from Tenerife, Canary Islands. Illustration selected for The Margaret Flockton Award Exhibition 2017. The Margaret Flockton Award is unique amongst international art awards, focusing exclusively on contemporary scientific botanical illustr...

Technical report for Dirección General de Protección de la Naturaleza, Gobierno de Canarias

First record of Laughing Dove for the Cape Verde archipelago, indicating a possible expansion of the species to the extreme south of the Macaronesian region, following the same process occurred in Northwest Africa and other nearby regions.

A short note with photos on the five species of Cistus present on Tenerife, Canary Islands

A short text about the ferns found in the laurel forests of Tenerife, Canary Islands, with photos of 10 selected species

We offer for the first time a scientific iconography of the endangered Canarian orchid Himantoglossum metlesicsianum. Illustration selected for The Margaret Flockton Award Exhibition 2017. The Margaret Flockton Award is unique amongst international art awards, focusing exclusively on contemporary scientific botanical illustration, as distinct from...

Book reviews of six recent publications about the Macaronesian Islands.

A second contribution about vascular plants with white flowers, due to albinism, in Tenerife (Canary Islands). We include a total of 9 species, both native and introduced.

The Teno range of mountains, located in the northwest Tenerife, Canary Islands, is still a refuge for the flora and fauna of the island. Until now, at least four native species of reptiles, 232 of birds (both breeding and migrant), and six mammals have been recorded for that site. For some of these animals, such as Canarian Spotted Lizard (Gallotia...

Cistus ladanifer L. ssp. ladanifer (Cistaceae) as a new addition to the floristic catalogue of Tenerife (Canary Islands)

A small article on the plant Pluchea ovalis (Asteraceae), which is invading very fast wide areas of the south of Tenerife, Canary Islands.

A note on the rediscovery of the tree Sideroxylon marginata, endemic to the Cape Verde archipelago, in Sao Nicolau island, where it was not found from 1976.

A new population of the fern Christella dentata in Tenerife, Canary Islands, and discussion about its status as indigenous plant in the archipelago

A list of references on amphibians and reptiles of the Canary Islands, compiled in 2013. It covers many publications and several unpublished reports, but there are some gaps. Prepared with the collaboration of Beatriz Fariña and Miguel Molina-Borja. Edited by Grupo El Perenquén, a local group of the Asociación Herpetológica Española (AHE).

We rediscover a population of Cicer canariense of which lacked information from 1994. This population is situated in the north of Tenerife Island, in the locality of barranco del Infierno (La Orotava), and it is composed by 12 adult and subadult plants and at least 18 individuals in total, more than double of the number initially discovered. This C...

First record of an escaped population of an endemic Asteraceae from Gran Canaria, Pericallis webbii, in Tenerife (Canary Islands).

In this small paper we show the distribution and status of Savi's Pipistrelle Bat Hypsugo savii in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands). At the same time, we offer information on bioacoustics of the species.

A small article on a species of Crassulaceae endemic to Tenerife (Canary Islands), Aeonium haworthii, which is invading some sites in this island, situated far away from its natural distribution area.

First record of Common Coot Fulica atra for the Cape Verde Islands, observed in Sal Island in November 2010.

This is a North African species with introduced and established populations in the Canary Islands and Gibraltar but is native to Ceuta and Melilla. Its winter distribution is very similar to that in spring. In Ceuta it is present on rocky slopes with scrub while in the Canaries it inhabits dry areas at low altitude, the lower limits of forests, cle...

Occasionally present in small numbers in the Canary Islands during the wintermonths. It also possible to observe / detect migrant birds in the same period. There are no concrete estimates of the size of the winter population nor of the evolution of the breeding population. There are observations from open areas such as non irrigated crops, fragment...

This species is endemic to the Canary Islands and is restricted to the central and western islands of the archipelago as it is extinct in Lanzarote and possibly also in Fuertventura. It is abundant and widely distributed where it occurs and may be found in a wide variety of habitats from coastal dry areas with succulent scrub vegetation to the high...

Hybridization is an important evolutionary factor in the diversification of many plant and animal species. Of particular interest is that historical hybridization resulting in the origin of new species or introgressants has occurred between species now geographically separated by great distances. Here, we report that Senecio massaicus, a tetraploid...

A general description of the avifauna of Garajonay National Park, in La Gomera Island, Canary archipelago, is given. Breeding and migratory, non-breeding birds are mentioned, with brief information about their distribution, ecology, population status, and conservation. In total 49 bird species are considered, of which 18 are migratory or visitors f...

The note shows the rare behaviour of a pair of Iago or Cape Verde Sparrows Passer iagoensis in Santiago (Cape Verde Islands).

Cover photograph of Canarina canariensis, an endemic Campanulaceae from the Canary Islands, with related species in East Africa.

The thermophilous woodlands. The Mediterranean appearance of the Canary Islands. The Canarian thermophilous woodlands constitute a young ecosystem, still under construction, closely linked with the onset of the Mediterranean climate type, characterized by their arid summers and wet winters, which took place some 2.5 million years ago. These woodlan...

Roque de Garachico, a site of valuable natural heritage off the northwest coast of Tenerife. About 300 m off the coast at the town of Garachico, in northwest Tenerife, lays the Roque de Garachico, an impressive islet with a maximum height of 77 m and a surface area of 0.05 km². Because of both its proximity to the mainland and its isolation from it...

A review on a book about petrels, shearwaters and allies (order Procellariiformes) which covers the Alantic ocean and Mediterranean sea.

A review on a book about important areas for seabirds in Portugal, covering also the Azores, Madeiran and Selvagens islands.

This small article describes several cases of partial or total albinism in 11 species of vascular plants from Tenerife (Canary Islands), both native and introduced.

A popular article on an important site for local biodiversity, not protected by law, situated in the south of Tenerife Island (Canaries).

An overview of the geography, Natural History (geology, vascular flora and vertebrate fauna), Prehistory and History of a military area of Fuerteventura Island (Canaries), which holds many interesting species typical of desert environments of the archipelago, linked to the nearby NW African coast.

A checklist of the terrestrial vertebrates of the Canary Islands, showing their endemic status (genera, species and subspecies) and distribution in the archipelago.

We used data collected during 1995– 2007 at the only Wildlife Rehabilitation Center on Tenerife Island (Canary Islands) to quantify entanglement mortality of owls. At least 66 of 1,206 Long-eared (Asio otus) and 5 of 231 Barn (Tyto alba) owls admitted to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center were entangled in burr bristlegrass (Setaria adhaerens). Twe...

Technical report on a site of special ecological and paleontological interest, located in a tourist area in the south of the island of Tenerife, Canary archipelago.

Viburnum tinus L. is reported for the first time for the Island of Madeira as a naturalized plant, in the remains of poorly preserved laurel forest. In Portugal two species of the genus Viburnum L. (Caprifoliaceae) have been recorded, Viburnum tinus L. [with two recognized subspecies: V. tinus L. subsp. tinus (mainland) and V. tinus L. subsp. subco...

A general article on the landscape and biodiversity of "punta de San Lorenzo" area, situated on the easternmost point of Madeira Island.