Eleonora’s Falcons (Falco eleonorae) hunting for roller dung beetles (Scarabaeus sp.)
Published: December 18 2024
Abstract Views: 235
PDF: 108
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
Coming from an occasional observation in Sardinia, this has been an unusual attempt to identify an insect taxon in images of falcon predatory actions in the air and has resulted in the first report of Scarabaeus sp. in the diet of Falco eleonorae. Provided this is confirmed as a recurrent food choice, Eleonora’s Falcons and elsewhere declining dung beetles would share enough distribution and phenology to form a predator-prey relationship worthy of further investigation.
Altmetrics
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Citations
Bakour S. & Moulaï R., 2019 ̶ Dietary analysis across breeding seasons of Eleonora's Falcon Falco eleonorae on the western coast of Algeria. Ostrich, 90: 63-72. <https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2018.1546774> DOI: https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2018.1546774
Byk A., & Piętka J., 2018 ̶ Dung beetles and their role in the nature. Edukacja Biologiczna i Środowiskowa, 1: 17-26. <https://doi.org/10.24131/3247.180103> DOI: https://doi.org/10.24131/3247.180103
Carrai V., Congiu A., Teofili C. & Bulgarini F., 2003 ̶ Presenza del Falco della Regina Falco eleonorae lungo la costa del golfo di Orosei (Sardegna centro-orientale). Avocetta, 27: 26.
Gangoso L., Viana D. S., Dokter A. M., Shamoun-Baranes J., Figuerola J., Barbosa S. A. & Bouten W., 2020 ̶ Cascading effects of climate variability on the breeding success of an edge population of an apex predator. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89: 2631-2643. <https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13304> DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13304
Kassara C., Evangelidis A., Tsiopelas N., Barboutis C. & Giokas S., 2022 ̶ Seasonal and daily activity patterns by Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae based on GPS telemetry: a contribution to the species’ movement ecology at its breeding grounds. Bird Conservation International, 32: 154-171. <https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270920000714> DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270920000714
Lumaret J.-P., 1990 ̶ Atlas des Coléoptères Scarabeides Laparosticti de France. Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris.
Lumaret J.-P. & Kirk A. A., 1987 ̶ Ecology of dung beetles in the French Mediterranean region (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Acta Zoológica Mexicana (nueva serie), 24: 1-55. <https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.1987.19242038> DOI: https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.1987.19242038
Mazzei P., 2006 ̶ iNaturalist Research-grade Observations. iNaturalist.org. Occurrence dataset <https://doi.org/10.15468/ab3s5x> accessed via GBIF.org <https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/3067760850> on 26-06-2024 (licensed under <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/>).
Mellone U., López-López P., Limiñana R., & Urios V., 2013 ̶ Summer pre-breeding movements of Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae revealed by satellite telemetry: implications for conservation. Bird Conservation International, 23: 487-494. <https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270913000051> DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270913000051
Moltoni E., 1971 ̶ Gli uccelli ad oggi riscontrati nelle isole di Tavolara, Molara e Molarotto (Sardegna nord-orientale). Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia, 41: 223-372.
Numa C., Tonelli M., Lob J. M., Verdú J. R., Lumaret J.-P., Sánchez-Piñero F., Ruiz J. L., Dellacasa M., Ziani S., Arriaga A., Cabrero F., Labidi I., Barrios V., Şenyüz Y. & Anlaş S., 2020 ̶ The conservation status and distribution of Mediterranean dung beetles. IUCN, Gland and Málaga. <https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2020.RA.1.en> DOI: https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2020.RA.1.en
Ristow D., 2004 ̶ On the insect diet of Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae and its importance for coloniality. In: Chancellor R.D. & Meyburg B.-U. (eds.), Raptors worldwide: proceedings of the VI World Conference on birds of prey and owls. Berlin: World Working Group on Birds of Prey and Owls; Budapest: MME/ BirdLife Hungary, p. 705-712.
Spina F., 1992 ̶ Falco della regina Falco eleonorae Gené, 1839. In: Bricchetti P., De Franceschi P. & Baccetti N. (eds.), Fauna d’Italia. Aves I: Gaviidae–Phasianidae. Bologna: Calderini. pp 658-673.
Xirouchakis S. M., Fric J., Kassara C., Portolou D., Dimalexis A., Karris G., Barboutis C., Latsoudis P., Bourdakis S., Kakalis E. & and Sfenthourakis S., 2012 ̶ Variation in breeding parameters of Eleonora’s falcon (Falco eleonorae) and factors affecting its reproductive performance. Ecological Research, 27: 407-416. <https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-011-0912-6> DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-011-0912-6
Xirouchakis S. M., Alivizatos H., Georgopoulou E., Dimalexis A., Latsoudis P., Portolou D., Karris G., Georgiakakis P., Fric J., Saravia V., Barboutis C., Bourdakis S., Kakalis E., Kominos T. & Simaiakis S., 2019 ̶ The diet of the Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae) in the Aegean archipelago (Greece). Journal of Natural History, 53: 1767-1785. <http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2019.1668978> DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2019.1668978
How to Cite
Eleonora’s Falcons (Falco eleonorae) hunting for roller dung beetles (Scarabaeus sp.). (2024). Rivista Italiana Di Ornitologia. https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2024.855
Copyright (c) 2024 Tiziano Londei
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
- Patrizia Rossi, Giorgia Gaibani, Marco Gustin, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and birds. A pilot project to assess the relation between the production method of the cheese and the environmental quality , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 82 No. 1-2 (2012)
- Carla Cerrato, Riccardo Orusa, Maria Cesarina Abete, Serena Robetto, Renata Tarasco, Birds as bioindicators of environmental contamination; data collected on the Jay , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 82 No. 1-2 (2012)
- Al Vrezec, Tomaž Mihelič, The Ural owl, Strix uralensis macroura, in Slovenia: an overview of current knowledge on species ecology , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 82 No. 1-2 (2012)
- Elafri Ali, Halassi Ismahan, Houhamdi Moussa, Time budget patterns and complementary use of a Mediterranean wetland (Tonga, North-east Algeria) by migrant and resident waterbirds , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 86 No. 1 (2016)
- Sergio Nissardi, Carla Zucca, Alessia Atzeni, Nicola Baccetti, Marco Zenatello, First breeding of Audouin’s Gull, Larus audouinii, in the Parco Naturale Regionale Molentargius - Saline (Sardinia) , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 82 No. 1-2 (2012)
- Grzegorz Kopij, The role of peri-urban wetland and meadow habitats in the protection of trans-Saharan migrant passerine species in a central European city , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 88 No. 1 (2018)
- Mauro Mencarelli, Niki Morganti, Project of the avifauna near Senigallia: the Misa River. First year of survey , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 82 No. 1-2 (2012)
- Corrado Battisti, Giuseppe Dodaro, Breeding bird communities in a morain landscape (Affi, North-Western Venetia): a preliminary survey. , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 81 No. 2 (2011)
- Davide Nasi, Giuseppe Ranghino, Stefano Costa, Reproductive trend of White Stork, Ciconia ciconia, in the area of Vercelli and Biella , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 82 No. 1-2 (2012)
- David Pierre Milesi-Gaches, Feathered diplomacy: when birds become main factors of research design and geography on Vigur Island , Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia: Vol. 94 No. 1 (2024)
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.