Interspecific and intraspecific differences in habitat use and their conservation implications for Palaearctic harriers on Sahelian wintering grounds

摘要: The floodplains of the West-African Sahel region have experienced extensive habitat transformation during past four decades, coinciding with an impoverishment raptor populations. We investigated foraging patterns Palaearctic migratory Eurasian Marsh Harriers Circus aeruginosus, Pallid C.macrourus and Montagus C.pygargus on a floodplain system in northern Cameroon to assess species, sex- age-related preferences. Sex age rarely been incorporated into general studies associations, despite clear evidence intrasexual differences strategies diet composition, potentially carrying strong conservation implications. found sexual preference related land use, particularly most sexually dimorphic Harrier, that juveniles used different habitats adults. This constitutes first quantitative documentation such differentiation by raptors African wintering grounds, indicating use may obscure age-specific Contrary expectations, we limited for interspecific segregation. Food partitioning prey mass was harrier body facilitated diverse availability human-transformed floodplains. Anticipated further large-scale conversion predominantly desiccated grasslands raises concerns about survival harriers.