ECOLOGY
OF
STEPPE BIRDS
RESEARCH
Why study steppe birds?
Bird species associated with steppe habitats are highly threatened. In Europe, no other habitat hosts such a high proportion of species with an Unfavorable Conservation Status.
The steppe habitat is under threat as it become destroyed and fragmented, or the traditional farming systems become either intensive or abandoned.
Identifying the ecological requirements of species and the factors that limit population size as well as predicting the species response to future environmental changes, such as habitat loss or climate warming, are becoming urgent to develop and implement effective conservation strategies.
The ultimate goal of our research aims at improving the delivery of effective conservation measures for restoring this ecosystem and its vulnerable bird species.
Study species
The European Roller (Coracias garrulus) is a long-distance migratory Coraciiform classified as globally near-threatened due to rapid population declines across the Palearctic region. In Europe, declines exceeded 30 % in three generations (15 years), leading to its current classification as vulnerable. In Portugal, the species is classified as Critically Endangered.
The Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) is a small colonial falcon classified as globally threatened due to the recent sharp declines in its Western European populations. Conservation projects aiming at improving foraging conditions and nest-site availability have been crucial in order to halt population decreases in several countries.
The iconic White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a very adaptable, opportunistic species. It benefited from human activities during the Middle Ages as woodland was cleared, but changes in farming methods and industrialisation saw it decline and disappear from parts of Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Changes in the migratory behaviour, coupled with changes in drought conditions in the Sahel are thought to be important in reversing the strong population decline in Europe.
The Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) is listed as Near Threatened because it is experiencing a moderately rapid overall population decline, driven by the conversion of dry grassland and low-intensity cultivation to intensive arable agriculture. More than half of the world’s population lives in the Iberian Peninsula.
