Influence of moonlight on nightjars’ vocal activity: a guideline for nightjar surveys in Europe
-
Luís Reino
,
Miguel Porto
Abstract
Strictly nocturnal or crepuscular habits on birds are restricted to a very limited number of species such as nightjars. Physiological skills of these species combined with ecological and behavioural adaptations provide them the ability to colonise a less competitive niche. Nightjars’ nocturnal ecological adaptations have been largely neglected on bird survey methods, which can bias the obtained results. Here, we studied the factors affecting vocal activity of two nightjar species, red-necked nightjar Caprimulgus ruficollis and European nightjar C. europaeus in a Mediterranean area of southern Portugal by modelling observed vocal activity of both species as a function of astronomic variables, particularly moon phase and day of the year. Red-necked nightjar vocal behaviour was positively associated with brighter moon phases and springtime, whereas European nightjar was only influenced by the season, being more active in the summer. This reveals the importance of light conditions on vocal activity of the former species. We suggest that specifically designed field surveys for these species should be preferentially conducted during brighter nights, when the lunar cycle is close to full moon. Furthermore, positive contacts with birds are maximized from late spring to early summer, at least for the red-necked nightjar.
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- Purification and characterization of antifungal chitinase from Bacillus safensis MBCU6 and its application for production of chito-oligosaccharides
- Vulnerability of a riparian zone towards invasion by alien plants depends on its structure
- The Paliurus spina-christi dominated vegetation in Europe
- Reciprocal contamination by invasive plants: analysis of trade exchange between Slovakia and Romania
- Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of chitinase gene from the actinorhizal tree Casuarina equisetifolia in Nicotiana tabacum
- Effects of exogenous abscisic acid on foliar anthocyanin accumulation and drought tolerance in purple rice
- Role of sulphur conferring differential tolerance to iron deficiency in Pisum sativum
- A new species of the genus Leptus (Acari: Erythraeidae) ectoparasitic on Acrididae (Insecta: Orthoptera) from Iran
- Thrips (Thysanoptera) associated with two morphological forms of Andean lupin (Lupinus mutabilis)
- Seasonal dynamics and life cycle of Heterotrissocladius marcidus (Diptera: Chironomidae) in high altitude lakes (High Tatra Mts, Slovakia)
- The parasite community of gobiid fishes (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae) from the Lower Volga River region
- External ontogenetic changes of larval structures in Elachistocleis bicolor (Anura: Microhylidae: Gastrophryninae)
- Influence of moonlight on nightjars’ vocal activity: a guideline for nightjar surveys in Europe
- Craniometric data of Apodemus sylvaticus in Slovakia
- Production of human interferon alpha-2b in Escherichia coli and removal of N-terminal methionine utilizing archaeal methionine aminopeptidase
