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Space use, nesting sites and breeding success of grey partridge (Perdix perdix) in two agricultural management systems in western Poland
... The main predators of adult grey partridges and their nests are mammals such as red foxes Vulpes vulpes, mustelids and cats, Felis silvestris and Felis catus, but the eggs are also preyed upon by, for example, European badgers Meles meles or rats Rattus spp. (Bro et al., 2000a;Panek, 2002;Potts, 2012;Roos et al., 2018). Although corvids and raptors play a role in some areas, mammalian predators generally have a larger impact on grey partridge populations (Potts, 2012;Kr€ uger et al., 2018;Bravo et al., 2020). ...
... In England, predation decreased with increasing amounts of tall dead grasses and further away from gaps in hedgerows, which might act as funnels for predators (Rands, 1988). Altogether, however, there are only few telemetry studies of wild grey partridges, and their results seem to show regional differences regarding the preferred nesting habitat and predation patterns (Bro et al., 2000a,b;Panek & Kamieniarz, 2000a,b;Panek, 2002;Reitz, Le Goff, & Fuzeau, 2002;S alek, Marhoul, & Pint ı r, 2002;Warren, Hornby, & Baines, 2017). ...
... Locating and monitoring grey partridge nests is labour intensive, which is reflected in the mostly small sample sizes and the limited number of studies on the topic [see, e.g., Rands, 1988 (N = 42 nests), Panek & Kamieniarz, 2000a (N = 21 nests); Panek, 2002 (N = 67 nests); Warren, Hornby, & Baines, 2017 (N = 29 nests), but Bro et al., 2000aBro et al., , 2000b (N = 548 nests); Reitz, Le Goff, & Fuzeau, 2002 (N = 221 nests)]. Thus, caution is needed when generalizing our results due to the relatively small sample size (N = 46). ...
Predation and habitat deterioration are the main reasons for the strong decline of ground‐nesting farmland birds such as the grey partridge Perdix perdix in Europe. Grey partridge nests and incubating females are especially vulnerable to predation. We have previously demonstrated that predator activity is much lower inside flower blocks (agri‐environment schemes sown with a flower seed mix) than at their edges and that predator activity in flower blocks depends on the surrounding landscape. Here, we investigate whether these differences in predator activity translate into differences in grey partridge nest predation and assess predation patterns relative to landscape and nest site characteristics. We recorded the success of 56 nests of radio‐tagged grey partridges between 2009 and 2017 in an agricultural landscape in Central Germany. We used Bayesian logistic regression to analyse the effects of nest site and landscape characteristics on nest predation on a subset of 46 nests (21 nests successful, 25 predated). Distance to the edge of the nesting habitat was the most important predictor, reducing predation probability from 66.8% at the edge to 18.5% at 85.5 m. Predation probability decreased with increasing length of habitat borders, habitat diversity and the area of permanent grasslands and fallows. Predation probability was higher further from settlements and increased with increasing woodland area in the agricultural matrix. When considering linear landscape structures, nest predation patterns matched the patterns of predator activity from our previous studies. Results suggest that the distance to the edge of the nesting habitat is most important and that nest predation may be reduced by providing sufficiently broad nesting habitats. Nest predation may further be minimized by increasing habitat diversity and coverage of extensive vegetation types and by establishing conservation measures for grey partridges further away from woodlands. These measures may also benefit other ground‐nesting farmland birds.
... An overall population decrease should theoretically be associated with a decrease in demographic traits, including survival and reproduction. However, a decrease in only one trait, particularly reproduction (Panek, 1992b;Lindström et al., 1997), might require complementary information as potential demographic trade-offs or density-dependent processes might be involved in population dynamics (Panek, 1992b;Lindström et al., 1997;Grimm and Storch, 2000;Sachot et al., 2006). ...
... An overall population decrease should theoretically be associated with a decrease in demographic traits, including survival and reproduction. However, a decrease in only one trait, particularly reproduction (Panek, 1992b;Lindström et al., 1997), might require complementary information as potential demographic trade-offs or density-dependent processes might be involved in population dynamics (Panek, 1992b;Lindström et al., 1997;Grimm and Storch, 2000;Sachot et al., 2006). ...
... Grey partridge 26 580 1910-2010 Middleton (1935Middleton ( , 1936Middleton ( , 1937, Jenkins (1961), Potts (1970Potts ( , 1980, Rands (1985); Montagna and Meriggi (1991), Birkan et al. (1992), Nösel (1992), Panek (1992a), Thomaides and Papageorgiou (1992), Potts and Aebischer (1995), Tapper et al. (1996), Boatman and Brockless (1998), Bro et al. (2000), Aebischer and Ewald (2004), Bro et al. (2004), Panek (2006), Parish and Sotherton (2007) Angelstam et al. (1984), Moss (1986), Baines (1991), Willebrand (1992), Caizergues and Ellison (1997), Kurki et al. (1997), Marjakangas and Törmälä (1997), Caizergues and Ellison (1998), Warren and Baines (2002) (1953), Myrberget and Hagen (1974), Lindén (1981), Ellison et al. (1982), Angelstam (1983, Storaas and Wegge (1984), Brittas and Willebrand (1991) in Jahren (2012) Capercaillie 17 (+ 9*) 247 (+ 10*) 1975-2009 Moss (1986Moss ( , 1987, Leclercq (1988), Storch (1994), Kurki et al. (1997), Picozzi et al. (1999), Moss et al. (2000), Proctor and Summers (2002), Saniga (2002) (1953), Siivonen (1953), Myrberget and Hagen (1974), Wegge and Grasaas (1977), Lindén (1981), Jones (1982), Klaus (1984), Spidsø et al. (1984), Storaas and Wegge (1984) in ...
For decades, decreases in several populations of some small sedentary game species have been reported in Europe. From the literature, we extracted mortality and reproductive rates that were available for European populations in four iconic species, the grey partridge (Perdix perdix), the black grouse (Tetrao tetrix), the capercaillie (T. urogallus) and the brown hare (Lepus europaeus), to examine how demographic parameters vary with time. Our study revealed the need to consider many confounding factors (age, sex, origin of studied individuals, season, country and methods) and the scarcity of recent demographic studies. Statistical analyses showed contrasted patterns of demographic traits with time within and between species. Our results highlighted that there may be consistency with a population decrease in grey partridge and black grouse that has been reported in the literature. However, analyses in capercaillie and brown hare showed less support for a population decrease at the European scale. The significant effects of interactions between time and age (in grey partridge, capercaillie and brown hare), method or origin of individuals on demographic traits and the emergence of contrasted patterns between short, intermediate and long monitoring periods (in grey partridge and black grouse) suggested that further studies should pay particular attention to potential confounding factors. Finally, the lack of recent data and doubts about the relative importance of reported causal factors indicate the need for further studies on the links between demographic traits, densities and environmental changes in the long term, and particularly on the role of predation and habitat change.
... Previous studies conducted in Poland and other European countries indicate that the combination of these adverse changes in the environment caused a decline in the number of partridges affecting mainly through a negative impact on the course and results of these birds breeding (Potts 1986, Panek 2005, Kuijper et al. 2009). In Poland, this concerned mainly the breeding success deteriorating as a result of limiting the availability of nesting sites and increased mortality of adult individuals during breeding, especially hatching females (Panek and Kamieniarz 2000, Panek 2002a, 2005. Additionally, there was some decrease in the survival of chick partridges (Panek 2005) in connection with the reduction of their food resources used during the first weeks of life, i.e. decrease in the abundance of some groups of insects, which is negatively affected by an intensive use of chemical plant protection means and simplified structure of the agricultural landscape (Rands 1985, Potts 1986, Panek 1997. ...
... Therefore, reducing of the females share among acquired adult birds undoubtedly resulted from a decrease in the proportion of this gender in the population at the end of summer. This should be associated with increased mortality of females during reproduction, identified for this species in previous years in Poland, and also in some other European countries (Potts 1986, Bro et al. 2001, Panek 2002a. For example, up to 48% of female partridges acceding to breed were dying in the late 1990s in western Poland within three main months of the breeding season (in large part during hatching, mainly caught by carnivores, mainly foxes), while only 11% of males were lost in the same period (Panek 2002a). ...
... Achieved data suggest therefore that the production of young in partridge populations in Lublin Upland in recent years was lower than in the past. Thus, the conclusions from previous studies indicating some increase in losses during the breeding season, and consequently reducing the production of young, as an important cause of the decline and the persistence of low states of partridges in Poland (Panek 2002a(Panek , 2005 were likely to be relevant in relation to the situation of these birds in Lublin Upland in the second decade of the 21st century, as well. It should be noted that the material of 2015 came from one of the last areas in the region, where hunting of partridge population was continued. ...
... Previous studies in partridges also shows breeding density positively correlated with availability of cover of perennial herbs and shrubs (Panek Kamieinarz. 2000;Panek, 2002). Breeding calls starts from April-May in study area, which is generally depend on different parts of its range from March to August (Ali and Ripley, 1983). ...
... Similarly pheasant nest observed on the periphery of their feeding rang (Hill and Robertson, 1988). Previous study on grey partridges (Perdix perdix) also suggest that breeding success depends upon type of agricultural land and its surrounding vegetation cover (Panek Kamieinarz, 2000;Panek, 2002). The average clutch size was found 6-7, which is similar to 6-8 (Hume and Oates, 1890) and lower than 10-12 (Jerdon, 1863) reported earlier. ...
... Both species overwinter in groups, show breeding behaviour in spring, breed on the ground within dense vegetation (Anderson 2002;Potts 2012), and their chicks are insectivorous (Green 1984;Hill 1985;Browne et al. 2006). During breeding season, Grey Partridges seem to prefer wild vegetation (Panek 2002) and Common Pheasants are often found in areas with meadows and tree plantations (Chiatante and Meriggi 2022). However, while Grey Partridges are socially and genetically monogamous bird species (Vaněčková 2011), Common Pheasants are mostly polygynous (Ridley and Hill 1987). ...
... Grey Partridges, known to be affected by pesticides causing dramatic reductions in food availability (Kuijper et al. 2009), might therefore have occupied study squares mainly consisting of agricultural fields under organic farming in our study site. Nesting sites of Grey Partridges can be located within cereal fields in open landscapes (Bro et al. 2000), permanent vegetation (Panek 2002;Gottschalk and Beeke 2014) and unmanaged habitats (Černý et al. 2020). Mechanical techniques to control weeds in cereal fields, mainly used in organic farming, can however be problematic during breeding seasons, as nests can be destroyed and chicks or incubating females can be killed (Newton 2004). ...
Agricultural landscapes had been inhabited by a vast number of bird species in the past; however, especially in the last decades, agricultural intensification had negatively affected habitat composition. Habitat heterogeneity decreased and the number of many species inhabiting farmland has severely declined. These landscapes still offer a home for species, but with decreasing environmental variability, less suitable habitat might be available and interspecific competition might have been altered. Agricultural fields under organic farming are often assumed to provide adequate habitats for farmland birds, thus competition for these areas might be high and affect species' habitat selection. We compared habitat selection of two typical farmland bird species, Grey Partridges (Perdix perdix) and Common Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), to determine the extent of habitat overlap in agricultural landscapes under organic and conventional farming in spring. Our study showed that both species preferred study squares with high habitat heterogeneity. In addition, squares with agricultural fields (e.g. without culture, winter cereals and fallow land) under organic farming were preferred by Grey Partridges, while Common Pheasants were mainly found on study squares containing agricultural fields under conventional farming. A broad habitat width in respect to food selection might have driven habitat choice of Common Pheasants; however, occupation of agricultural fields under organic farming by Grey Partridge males might also explain habitat selection of Common Pheasants. Awareness should be raised when releasing captive-rearing pheasants because interspecific competition between Grey Partridges and Common Pheasants could also affect fecundity and survival of both species.
... Only a small proportion of the study area is covered with hedgerows or set-asides with consistent cover. These few sites are often highly attractive to prey and predator species alike (Panek, 2002;Buner et al., 2005;Meichtry-Stier et al., 2014) and may thus increase encounter rates of grey partridges and their predators, ultimately resulting in high predation. ...
Animal reintroductions are important tools for conservation but often fail for reasons poorly understood. Biological and methodological factors can affect reintroduction success in complex manners. Investigating dispersal after release often relies on the use of biologging devices but individuals cope differently with these devices. They can detrimentally affect the performance of individuals depending on life‐history stage and may provide flawed conclusions, because inference drawn from tagged individuals cannot be readily generalized to non‐tagged individuals. Furthermore, environmental conditions during the release period or the expression of social behaviour such as the coordination of flocking behaviour can affect the outcome of reintroductions. In a reintroduction project involving 1385 grey partridges (Perdix perdix) released in 54 social groups (i.e. coveys), we investigated whether individual biweekly post‐release survival varied throughout different life‐history stages and was affected by radio‐tags of different weight (8 vs. 11 g), covey affiliation and release date. We conducted experiments in captivity to evaluate whether physiological stress, body condition and individual take‐off performance were affected by radio‐tags. During the first month after release survival was low in radio‐tagged and untagged birds. Throughout the second‐ and third‐month post‐release, negative effects of radio‐tags on survival were apparent. Four months after release, the survival of radio‐tagged and untagged birds converged. Consequently, the annual survival of untagged birds was more than five times higher than that of radio‐tagged birds. We did not find clear negative effects of radio‐tags on stress hormone levels but take‐off performance tended to be lower in tagged birds. Survival strongly decreased with later release date and differed between coveys. The use of radio‐tags can detrimentally affect individual survival and reintroduction success of grey partridges. The risk and benefits of radio‐tags should be balanced and releases in reintroductions should be conducted under the most favourable social and environmental conditions.
It is commonly admitted that the continuous development of human infrastructure (HI), resulting in natural habitat fragmentation, affects farmland birds by misleading their strategies of nest site selection. Here, we examined how HI in agricultural landscape (AL) could be affecting nest habitat selection of Barbary partridge (BP) (Alectoris barbara). A total of 160 BP nests were monitored during four years (2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022) in eight Moroccan agricultural zones. We used the generalized linear mixed models and variation partitioning methods to quantify the effects of AL and HI on BP nest occurrence. This occurrence increased with track density (within 300m of sampled nests) and decreased with built-up area cover (50m). Nest occurrence was also associated with cover of agricultural areas (300m), distances to the nearest agricultural area, the nearest human settlement, and the nearest track. However, the effect of these covariates depended on distance to nearest paved road, being close to roads located far away from agricultural areas and tracks and near human settlements and tracks. Overall, our results highlighted a trend to nest close to HI when agricultural areas were relatively remote or less represented. For the effective conservation and management of the Moroccan BP populations, it is critical to keep human infrastructures at a level that allows maintaining the relative dominance of the agricultural landscape. Further fragmentation of this landscape will impact the ability of this farmland species to select its nesting sites flexibly.
Marsh Tits Poecile palustris were studied in primaeval fragments of Białowieża National Park (Poland) between 1997 and 2020 to investigate how variation in spring weather, predation, and the timing of tree bud burst and emergence and development of folivorous caterpillars impacts reproductive performance. Marsh Tits commenced egg laying earlier in warmer springs, but had only limited capacity to adjust their breeding behaviour in response to varying conditions in the nestling period. Despite folivorous caterpillars constituting an important food source for nestlings, Marsh Tits reproduced successfully even in years of very low caterpillar abundance, provided the weather remained good and predator pressure was low. Caterpillar abundance became important only in colder springs, when signs of undernourishment (higher brood reduction rates, delayed fledging) were observed. Malnourished young also appeared more exposed to predation as an indirect effect of food availability and weather contributing to nesting success. Despite predation, Marsh Tits experienced median annual nest losses of only 27.5%. Egg laying commenced and breeding finished ahead of most other local bird species, probably due to intraspecific competition to produce young before other birds in the population. Such timing seemingly created a safety window, when predators were likely not yet searching for nests, resulting in nest losses before hatching of usually below 10%. Across the 24 years of this study, Marsh Tits were exposed to a wide range of conditions that themselves did not show a temporal trend. As such, the observed variation is probably representative of forests not subject to climate warming.
The decrease in chick survival has been one of the most important reasons for the decline in the abundance of Grey Partridges Perdix perdix in Europe in the recent decades. Therefore, it is important to know the habits of these birds during the period of raising chicks. The habitat use, movements and home range sizes of partridges rearing their chicks up to three weeks old were studied in western Poland in the years 1995–2001. Twenty one pairs with chicks were localized daily by radiotracking. The partridge broods mostly used cereals (54.4% of their locations), but permanent wild vegetation (19.6%) turned out to be preferred. Most locations (56.8%) took place up to 10 m from field edges. The average distance of daily movements was 160 m (range 0–890 m) and was shorter in the diversified landscape of small fields than in the simplified landscape of large fields. The area of home ranges (100% MCP) during the first three weeks of chick's life averaged 12.0 ha (range 2.9–34.1 ha) and no significant differences were found between the two field types. The size of home ranges decreased with the proportion of cereals and wild vegetation in the regions where individual broods occurred. It was concluded that large-scale crop fields create worse living conditions for Grey Partridge broods than more diverse small fields.
This publication describes how grey partridge conservation
helps to address the farmland biodiversity crisis across
Europe. It summarises the most relevant scientific
evidence regarding grey partridge management and the
biodiversity benefits associated with it. We have selected
what we felt were the best and most thorough studies
and papers available. We cite high-impact peer-reviewed
papers wherever possible, relying on our combined
experience and expertise to quote non-reviewed reports where published papers where unavailable.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.