Breeding parameters of the trumpeter finch at the periphery of its range: A case study with mainland expanding and island populations

Abstract

Studies on breeding parameters in peripheral populations have been centred on species with stable or regressive ranges. However, the studies on peripheral expanding populations are few, probably due to the scarcity of suitable models. On the other hand, islands are a sort of peripheral populations with their own rules. By using an arid-land passerine, the Trumpeter Finch, we compare the clutch size between two peripheral populations, one in expansion located in south-eastern Iberian Peninsula, another located in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, with the clutch size of their presumably source population, Northwest Africa. We did not find differences in clutch size between continental peripheral population nor island one compared with North African one. We also present other breeding parameters including incubation period, hatching rate, nestling period, fledgling rate and productivity in both peripheral populations.