Sex‐dependent habitat selection in a high‐density Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax population in southern France, and the implications for conservation

Abstract

Conservation measures often rely on habitat management, so knowledge about a species’ habitat use is a prerequisite for effective conservation planning. The Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax, a medium‐sized bird native to the Palaearctic steppes and today found in extensively farmed habitats, is a threatened species. Its population experienced a 94% decline in farmland habitats in France between 1982 and 1996, and populations all over Europe have suffered equally sharp declines. Due to this steep negative trend, this species has been the subject of a number of habitat selection studies in order to develop relevant conservation measures based on its habitat requirements. In this study, we investigated the habitat selection of a range of habitat types by both sexes and at two nested spatial scales: plot scale and landscape scale. In addition, we analysed intra‐specific social interactions by incorporating conspecific density in the statistical models of habitat use. The study was conducted on a very high‐density population, perhaps the highest ever recorded for this species at around 50 Bustards per 100 ha of suitable habitat. Our methodology combined two field approaches (point counts and quadrat counts). The findings showed rather limited sexual dimorphism in terms of habitat selection at a local scale, with only vegetation height differing between sexes at a micro‐habitat scale, no selection at landscape scale, and a prevailing role of social factors at both scales. The implications for future conservation strategies in relation to population density and landscape composition are discussed.