Use of water troughs by wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in a farmland area of north–west Spain

J A Armenteros,V R Gaudioso,M E Alonso,R T Larsen,C Sánchez–García

doi:10.32800/abc.2015.38.0233

Abstract

Installation of water troughs is a common approach to increase densities of small game species in the Iberian peninsula but little is known about the watering patterns of target species, such as the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Using camera trapping, we monitored the use of water troughs by wild rabbits over 228 weeks in three consecutive periods, from June to October in 2008, 2009 and 2010, on farmland in north–west Spain. Wild rabbits used 43% of the water troughs. A significantly higher number of rabbits were observed drinking at troughs surrounded by shrub cover than at those in open fields. Most drinking events were recorded from July to September (98%), though the use of water troughs was not clearly related to weather. Wild rabbits drank mainly during the morning (52% of rabbits), less so in the evening and at night, and rarely in the afternoon. Wild rabbits were photographed together with red–legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) in 6% of photographs. These findings suggest water troughs are useful for species such as wild rabbits and should be allocated close to shrub areas.

Highlights

Considerable efforts have been made in the Iberian Peninsula to improve the management of small game species
Water troughs mainly targeted red–legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) populations and they were not aimed at rabbits as water availability is not generally considered a major constraint for this species (Hayward, 1961)
Aiming to produce guidelines for best watering practices for small game species, we evaluated the use of water troughs by rabbits to (1) confirm their use by this species, (2) to investigate the effects of trough location in shrub cover or open fields on use by rabbits, (3) to assess whether drinking behaviour is affected by weather, and (4) to study the daily watering patterns of the species

Summary

Introduction

Considerable efforts have been made in the Iberian Peninsula to improve the management of small game species. These animals play a key role in ecosystems and hunting such species is a crucial economic activity in many rural areas (Arroyo et al, 2012; Ferreira et al, 2014). In their study about the frequency of use and cost–effectiveness of habitat management techniques in rabbit populations in Iberia, Ferreira et al (2014) found that water troughs targeted rabbits. They suggested that supplying water would maximise returns from a set budget

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Conclusion