Publication
Title
Estimates of avian collision with power lines and carcass disappearance across differing environments
Author
Abstract
Data on collisions of birds with high-voltage electric power lines are scarce and are often gathered without protocols for the correction of carcass disappearance. There is actually growing awareness that it is important to accomplish carcass removal trials in order to develop correction factors for producing adjusted estimates of mortality due to collisions. In this study, we provided for the first time raw counts and estimates of bird collisions across seven Italian areas that largely differ in their habitats. We also carried out carcass removal trials to compute the rate of carcass disappearance and produce better estimates of collision events and of optimal time intervals of carcass searches. Results of 1-year monitoring showed a general low frequency of birds collided with the power lines. Carcass removal trials showed effects of carcass size and season on the carcass disappearance, which varied largely among the study areas. In four areas, both small and large carcasses had more than 50% probability to be removed within 3-5days from their distribution. Given the high variation among study areas, we suggest that estimates of carcass persistence and optimal time intervals should be conducted concurrently for each new study site.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Animal conservation. - Cambridge
Publication
Cambridge : 2017
ISSN
1367-9430
DOI
10.1111/ACV.12303
Volume/pages
20 :2 (2017) , p. 173-181
ISI
000398629900012
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 02.05.2017
Last edited 09.10.2023
To cite this reference