https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2022.564
Analysis of the Rook (Corvus frugilegus) wintering population in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (Italy) using maximum entropy models
Submitted: 22 July 2021
Accepted: 21 June 2022
Published: 15 December 2022
Accepted: 21 June 2022
Abstract Views: 1336
PDF: 328
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
This research analyzed the wintering population of rooks (Corvus frugilegus) in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (Italy) from 2010 to 2020. The goal was to determine the population size, trend, and distribution over the decade by assessing census data and evaluating the study area’s environmental suitability. It was important to identify the relationship between the region’s environmental characteristics and the presence of the species by developing territory suitability models, processed using the maximum entropy algorithms and MaxEnt (maximum entropy) software. It was possible to determine the combinations of the factors potentially influencing habitat attendance, to develop environmental suitability maps, and to identify the area with the greater probability of the presence of the species, as well as those areas with potential suitability. Data for the presence of wintering rooks were derived from annual censuses, carried out by direct observation along pre-established transects in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Based on the census data, that total number of rooks in Friuli Venezia Giulia across the 10-year period had a maximum peak recorded in 2015 (1543) and a minimum in 2019 (853). The distribution of the species was concentrated in the central-southern areas of the region, with greater turnout in the areas characterized by agricultural land use, while the mountainous areas, located in the southern part of the region, were excluded. The environmental suitability models developed with MaxEnt on a regional scale demonstrated excellent predictive capacity, validating the species’ ecological needs. Although the rook is not an endangered species, its range has been drastically reduced in Italy, at least in the last century, and MaxEnt could be used in the future as a management tool in order to outline conservation actions for the species, especially for its habitats.
Biaduń W. & Wójciak J., 2005 − Rook Corvus frugilegus (L., 1758). In: Atlas of Breeding Birds in the Lublin Region. Wójciak J., Biaduń W., Buczek T. & Piotrowska M. (eds). Lubelskie Towarzystwo Ornitologiczne: 394-395. (In Polish).
Birdlife International, 2015 − Rook Corvus frugilegus. European Red List of Birds. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg.
BirdLife International, 2017 − European Birds of conservation concern: population, trends and national responsibilities. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
Bogliani G., 1985 − Distribuzione ed ecologia del Corvo, Corvus frugilegus, svernante in Italia. Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia, 55: 140-150.
Borgo A. & Mattedi S. M., 2012 − Monitoraggio dello stato di conservazione dei Galliformi alpini quali indicatori di biodiversità per le Alpi orientali: l’esempio del Parco Naturale Dolomiti friulane. Gortania, 33 (2011): 129-153.
Brenchley A., 2009 − The breeding distribution and abundance of the rook (Corvus frugilegus L.) in Great Britain since the 1920s. Journal of Zoology, 210 (2): 261-278.
Brichetti P. & Fracasso G., 2011 – Corvo comune. In: Ornitologia italiana 7 Paridae - Corvidae. Alberto Perdisa Editore: 397-409.
Busse P., 1969 − Results of ringing of European Corvids. Acta Ornithologica, 11: 263-285.
Campedelli T., Tellini G., De Carli E., Buvoli L. & Londi G., 2009 − Relazioni tra agricoltura e passeri nel paesaggio italiano, desunte dal progetto Mito2000. Ecologia Urbana, 21 (1): 21-25.
Campedelli T., Londi G., Cutini S., Suzzi Valli A., Casali S., Santolini R., Pruscini F. & Tellini G., 2011 − Ecologia e distribuzione degli uccelli nella Repubblica di San Marino: l’Atlante delle specie nidificanti (2007-2011). In: Proceedings of the XVI Italian convention of Ornithology. Tinarelli R., Andreotti A., Baccetti N., Melega L., Roscelli F., Serra L., Zenatello M. (eds.). Scritti, Studi e Ricerche di Storia Naturale della Repubblica di San Marino: 42-43.
Campedelli T., Ceccarelli P. P., Londi G., Cutini S., Tellini G. & Agostini N., 2012 − L’ecologia del Picchio nero Dryocopus martius, nelle Foreste Casentinesi come chiave per la possibile espansione della specie nell’Appennino. Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia, 81 (1): 43-61.
Campedelli T., Benussi E., Calvi G., Londi G., Vitulano S., Cutini S., Bonazzi P., Buvoli L., Tonetti J., Florit F. & Tellini G., 2018 − Atlante degli uccelli nidificanti nella ZPS IT3341002 “aree carsiche della Venezia Giulia”. Gortania, 39 (2017): 41-188.
Caterini P., 1955 − Inchiesta sul corvo comune (Corvus frugilegus L.) in Italia. Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia, 25: 85-104.
Chmielewski S., Iwańczuk C., Kuropieska R., Łukaszewicz M., Szafrański A., Tabor J. & Tęcza R., 2019 − Breeding population of the Rook Corvus frugilegus in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. ���� Current state and trends. International Studies on Sparrows, 43: 4-11.
Chodkiewicz T., Neubauer G., Sikora A., Ławicki Ł., Meissner W., Bobrek R., Cenian Z., Bzoma S., Betleja J., Kuczyński L., Moczarska J., Rohde Z., Rubacha S., Wieloch M., Wylegała P., Zielińska M., Zieliński P. & Chylarecki P., 2018 − Monitoring of Birds of Poland in 2016-2018. Biuletyn Monitoringu Przyrody, 17: 1-90. (In Polish).
Cucco M., Levi L., Maffei G. & Pulcher C., 1996 − Atlante degli uccelli di Piemonte e Valle d’Aosta in inverno. Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Tornio.
Cutini S., Bagni L., Campedelli T., Londi G. & Tellini F. G., 2009 − Ecologia e possibili linee d’espansione della cincia dal ciuffo Lophophanes cristatus nell’Appennino. In: Proceedings of the Italian convention of Ornithology. Sabaudia, 14-18 October 2009. �Brunelli M., Battisti C., Bulgarini F., Cecere J.G., Fraticelli F., Gustin m., Sarrocco S. & Sorace A. (eds). Alula, XVI (1-2): 329-334.
De Luca M., Strazzaboschi L., Ciani L. & Pizzul E., 2017 − La pernice bianca Lagopus mutus helveticus (Thienemann, 1829) nel Parco Naturale delle Prealpi Giulie: Stima, della distribuzione e della consistenza della popolazione. Gortania, 38 (2016): 115-126.
EEA, 2012 − Corine Land Cover (CLC) 2012, Version 2020_20u1. <http://land.copernicus.eu/pan-european/corine-land-cover/clc-2012/view> (Accessed on 10 March 2020).
EEA, 2018 − Corine Land Cover (CLC) 2018, Version 2020_20u1. <https://land.copernicus.eu/pan-european/corine-land-cover/clc2018> (Accessed on 10 March 2020).
Elith J., Graham C. H., Anderson R. P., Dudík M., Ferrier S., Guisan A., Hijmans R. J., Huettmann F., Leathwick J. R., Lehmann A., Li J., Lohmann L. G., Loiselle B. A., Manion G., Moritz C., Nakamura M., Nakazawa Y., Overton J. McC. M., Peterson A. T., Phillips S. J., Richardson K. S., Scachetti-Pereira R., Schapire R. E., Soberón J., Williams S., Wisz M. S. & Zimmermann N. E., 2006 − Novel methods improve prediction of species’ distributions from occurrence data. Ecography, 29: 129-151.
Ena V., 1984 − A population study of the Rook Corvus frugilegus in Leon Province, Northwest Spain. Ibis, 126: 240-249.
Feijen H. R., 1976 − Food, occurrence and decline of the rook Corvus frugilegus in the Netherlands. Limosa, 49: 28-66.
Fornasari L., Bottoni L., Schwabl H. & Massa R., 1992 − Testosterone in the breeding cycle of the male Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio. Ethology Ecology & Evolution, 4: 2, 193-196.
Fracasso G., Baccetti,N. & Serra L., 2009 − La Lista CI-SO-COI degli Uccelli Italiani. Parte prima: liste A, B e C. Avocetta, 33: 5-24.
Giglioli E. H., 1889 − Primo resoconto dei risultati dell’inchiesta ornitologica in Italia. Parte prima. Avifauna italica. Coi tipi dei successori Le Monnier, Firenze.
Grattini N., 2005 − Sul Corvo Corvus frugilegus svernante in provincia di Mantova. Picus, 31: 25-29.
Groppali R., 1994 − Corvi, Corvus frugilegus L., svernanti nella Valpadana Centrale e conservazione del paesaggio agrario tradizionale. «Natura Bresciana» Ann. Mus. Civ. Sc. Nat., Brescia, 29 (1993) 1994: 257-263.
Gu W. & Swihart R. K., 2004 − Absent or undetected? Effects of non-detection of species occurrence on wildlife-habitat models. Biological Conservation, 116: 195-203.
Hagemeijer W. J. M. & Blair M. J., 1997 − The EBCC Atlas of European Birds: Their Distribution and Abundance. Published for the European Bird Census Council. T. & A. D. Poyser, London.
Kalotas Z., 1985 − Feeding habitat and economic importance of the Rook (Corvus frugilegus L.) in Hungary. Aquila, 92: 175-239.
Kitowski, I., 2011 − The breeding population of the Rook Corvus frugilegus in Chełm (Eastern Poland) a comparison of the surveys of 1991 and 2011. Teka Komisji Ochrony I Kształtowania Środowiska Przyrodniczego Ol Pan, 8: 56-62.
Krüger T., Heckenroth H., Prior N., Seitz J. & Zang H., 2020 − Persecution and statutory protection have driven Rook Corvus frugilegus population dynamics over the past 120 years in NW‑Germany. Journal of Ornithology, 161: 569-584.
Little D. I., Little A. E. & Levell D., 2001 − A review of Rook status, with new South Pembrokeshire data, 1986-1996. Field Studies, 10: 37-56.
Lobo J. M., Jiménez-Valverde A. & Real R., 2008 − AUC: A misleading measure of the performance of predictive distribution models. Global Ecology Biogeography, 17 (2): 145-151.
Madge S. & Burn H., 1994 − Crows and Jays: A Guide to the Crows, Jays and Magpies of the World. Helm, London.
Malmberg T., 1973 − Pesticides and the Rook Corvus frugilegus in Scania, Sweden between 1955 and 1970. Oikos, 24: 377-387.
Mazgajski T., Woźniak A. & Żmihorski M., 2005 − Changes in the number of Corvids wintering in Warsaw over thirty years 1975-2004. In: Corvids of Poland. Jerzak L., Kavanagh B. P., Tryjanowski P. (eds). Bogucki Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Poznań: 419-426.
Mazgajski T., Żmihorski M., Halba R. & Woźniak A., 2008 − Long-term population trends of Corvids wintering in urban parks in central Poland. Polish Journal of Ecology: 521-526.
Merow C., Smith M. & Silander J., 2013 − A practical guide to Maxent: What it does, and why inputs and settings matter. Ecography, 36: 1-12.
Mikuška A., Felja A. & Mikuška T., 2015 − Breeding of Rook Corvus frugilegus in Osijek and Vuka during 2014 and 2015 and its long-term population trend. Larus, 50: 37-46.
Moilanen A., 2002 − Implications of empirical data quality to metapopulation model parameter estimation and application. Oikos, 96: 516-530.
Orłowski G. & Czapulak A., 2007 − Different extinction risks of the breeding colonies of Rooks Corvus frugilegus in rural and urban areas of SW Poland. Acta Ornithologica, 42: 145-155.
Pedrini P., Caldonazzi M. & Zanghellini S., 2005 − Atlante degli Uccelli nidificanti e svernanti in Provincia di Trento. Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, Trento.
Phillips S. J. & Dudík M., 2008 − Modeling of species distributions with Maxent: new extensions and a comprehensive evaluation. Ecography, 31: 161-175.
Phillips S. J., Dudík M. & Schapire R. E., 2004 − A Maximum entropy approach to species distribution modeling. Proceedings of the Twenty-First International Conference on Machine Learning: 655-662.
Phillips S. J., Anderson R. P. & Schapire R. E., 2006 − Maximum entropy modelling of species geographic distribution. Ecological Modelling, 190: 231-259.
Raes N. & ter Steege H., 2007 − A null-model for significance testing of presence-only species distribution models. Ecography, 30: 727-736.
Sgorlon G. & Stival E., 2016 − Analisi della fenologia del corvo comune (Corvus frugilegus) in Veneto. In: Atti 7° Convegno Faunisti Veneti. Bonato L., Trabucco R. & Bon M. (eds.). Bollettino Museo di Storia Naturale Venezia, suppl. 66: 225-229.
Skilling D. & Smith R. T., 1993 − The Rookeries of Dumfriesshire 1993, including comparisons with 1908, 1921, 1963, 1973 and 1975. Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, 68: 1-23.
Spiess M. & Keller V., 2020 – Corvus frugilegus Rook. In: European Breeding Bird Atlas 2: Distribution, Abundance and Change. Keller V., Herrando S., Vorisek P., Franch M., Kipson M., Milanesi P., Martí D., Anton M., Klvanová A., Kalyakin M. V., Bauer H.-G. & Foppen R. P. B. (eds.). European Bird Census Council & Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Tellini G., Campedelli T., Londi G., Dessì Fulgheri F. & Gusmeroli E., 2008 − Idoneità ambientale a scala vasta per specie di interesse per la conservazione, ottenuta a partire da dati di sola presenza con algoritmi di massima entropia (MaxEnt). In: Ecologia e Governance del Paesaggio. Esperienze e prospettive. Atti del X Congresso Nazionale della Società Italiana di Ecologia del Paesaggio. 22-23 maggio 2008 Bari. Mairota P., Mininni M., Lafortezza R. & Padoa Schioppa E. (a cura di). Università degli Studi di Bari, Politecnico di Bari, SIEP-IALE: 237-244.
Tsoar A., Allouche O., Steinitz O., Rotem D. & Kadmon R., 2007 − A comparative evaluation of presence-only methods for modelling species distribution. Diversity and Distributions, 13 (4): 397-405.
Tucakov M., Radišić D., Šćiban M., Ružić M., Janković M., Hulo I., Horvat F., Sekereš O., Hardi B., Žuljević A., Mérő T., Đapić D., Rajković D., Agošton A., Vig L., Balog I., Ham I., Gergelj J, Barna K. & Medveđ A., 2010 − Numbers and distribution of Rook Corvus frugilegus colonies in Bačka. Ciconia, 19: 110-116.
Unger C. & Bauer F., 2001 − Ringing data from migrating and overwintering Rooks Corvus frugilegus near Eisfeld, southern Thuringen, between 1978 and 1991. Anzeiger des Vereins Thüringer Ornithologen, 4: 149-160.
How to Cite
Conti, L., Iacobelli, S., Sottili, C., & Taiariol , P. L. (2022). Analysis of the Rook (<em>Corvus frugilegus</em>) wintering population in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (Italy) using maximum entropy models. Rivista Italiana Di Ornitologia, 92(2), 7–20. https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2022.564
Copyright (c) 2022 Leonardo Conti, Simona Iacobelli, Caterina Sottili, Pier Luigi Taiariol
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Similar Articles
- Luca Nelli, Habitat suitability models and carrying capacity estimations for rock ptarmigans in a protected area of the Italian Alps , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 85 No. 1 (2015)
- Tommaso Campedelli, Pier Palo Ceccarelli, Guglielmo Londi, Simonetta Cutini, Guido Tellini Florenzano, Nevio Agostini, L’ecologia del Picchio Nero, Dryocopus Martius, nelle foreste casentinesi come chiave per la possibile espansione della specie nell'Appennino , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 81 No. 1 (2011)
- Flavio Ferlini, Evolution of the breeding range of the “italian” Wagtail Motacilla flava cinereocapilla , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 85 No. 2 (2015)
- Michelangelo Morganti, Birds facing climate change: a qualitative model for the adaptive potential of migratory behaviour , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 85 No. 1 (2015)
- Giacomo Assandri, The Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus, in Piedmont and Aosta Valley: distribution, population trend, phenology and significant spring concentrations. , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 81 No. 1 (2011)
- Marco Canova, Carla Bedoni, Valeria Harper, Anna Maria Barazzoni, Adriano de Faveri, Annamaria Grandis, Anatomical differences in three wing muscles of the Grey heron (Ardea cinerea), the Common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and the Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus): a possible functional interpretation , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 85 No. 1 (2015)
- Corrado Battisti, Aldo Boano, Michele Cento, Amedeo Circosta, Sergio Muratore, Waders (Aves, Charadriiformes) in a Mediterranean remnant wetland: a year-round pilot study evidences contrasting patterns in diversity metrics , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 85 No. 1 (2015)
- Gianluca Rassati, Responsiveness to acoustic stimulation, distribution and habitat preferences of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos minor, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (North-eastern Italy) , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 85 No. 1 (2015)
- Andrea Amici, Fioravante Serrani, Settimio Adriani, Bruno Ronchi, Marco Bonanni, Riccardo Primi, A nesting area suitability model (MISN) to estimate the population parameters of Rock Partridge, Alectoris graeca orlandoi, in Rieti and Frosinone Provinces , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 82 No. 1-2 (2012)
- Marco Masseti, The lost cranes of the island of Lampedusa (Italy) , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 86 No. 1 (2016)
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.