Abstract
More than half of the European population of the Barbary Partridge is in Sardinia; nonetheless, the researches concerning this species are very scarce, and its conservation status is not defined because of a deficiency of data. This research aimed to analyse the habitat selection and the factors affecting the abundance and the density of the Barbary Partridge in Sardinia. We used the data collected over 8 years (between 2004 and 2013) by spring call counts in 67 study sites spread on the whole island. We used GLMM to define the relationships between the environment (topography, land use, climate) both the occurrence and the abundance of the species. Moreover, we estimated population densities by distance sampling. The Barbary Partridge occurred in areas at low altitude with garrigue and pastures, avoiding woodlands and sparsely vegetated areas. We found a strong relationship between the occurrence probability and the climate, in particular, a positive relation with temperature and a negative effect of precipitation, especially in April–May, during brood rearing. Furthermore, dry crops positively affected the abundance of the species. We estimated a density of 14.1 partridges per km2, similar to other known estimates. Our findings are important both because they increase the knowledge concerning this species, which is considered data deficient in Italy, and because they are useful to plan management actions aimed to maintain viable populations if necessary.
Highlights
The Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara Reichenow 1896) is one of the four species of the genus Alectoris found in the Mediterranean Basin
In Italy, the conservation status of the species is not evaluated by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of the Nature) because it is ‘data deficient’ (DD) (Rondinini et al 2013); any new study concerning this species is worthy
We found the species in areas at low altitude, with garrigue and pastures, especially in warmer and dryer sites with reduced seasonality
Summary
The Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara Reichenow 1896) is one of the four species of the genus Alectoris found in the Mediterranean Basin. It is distributed in northwestern Africa, from Western Sahara east to Libya, as well as at Gibraltar, in the Canary Islands and in Sardinia, where it was probably introduced historically (Cramp 1980; Scandura et al 2010). The European population is estimated at 7500–20,000 pairs, more than half present in Sardinia (Italy) with 5000–10,000 breeding pairs and a decreasing population trend In Italy, the conservation status of the species is not evaluated by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of the Nature) because it is ‘data deficient’ (DD) (Rondinini et al 2013); any new study concerning this species is worthy
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
