Agricultural practices or game management: which is the key to improve red-legged partridge nesting success in agricultural landscapes?

摘要: European agricultural landscapes hold important endangered and game species, which may add socioeconomical ecological value to the ecosystem, thus must be considered priority species in any management programme integrating agriculture, hunting conservation. Patterns of red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) nesting habitat selection success provide information for implementation these kinds programmes agrarian pseudosteppes. Nests occur mainly cereal grain fields, although this type was overall negatively selected had lowest success. Only lindes (herbaceous strips among fields) were positively selected, also with highest within fields close field margins (mostly < 5 m). Agricultural practices, particularly harvesting, main cause nest failure. Changes practices would a more effective means increasing than predator control. Partridge breeding improved by better areas, availability slightly delaying harvesting. These data have implications other steppe-birds similar habitat, basis successful collaborative between hunters conservationists.