Search

This study investigated the habitat selection of the Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) during the breeding season of 2014 in an intensively managed agricultural environment (LAJTA Project, North-West Hungary). In order to assess the habitat preferences of the Common Quail, habitat composition around occupied plots were compared with unoccupied control plots. To characterize the habitat, a total of 11 variables related to vegetation structure and diversity, food availability and landscape were quantified. Multivariate methods (PCA and GLMs) were used to distinguish the main factors influencing habitat selection and to model the presence of the Common Quail. Based on our results, in the LAJTA Project, high probability of Common Quail presence can be predicted in plots with higher herbaceous cover and more abundant arthropod communities. The network of ecotone habitats, particularly the proximity to woody habitats, also appeared to have significant importance during the breeding season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, we used the same method as in the 1989-1996 period to count calling males of the Common Quail Coturnix coturnix in selected 1x1 km squares of Ljubljansko barje (central Slovenia). We counted 39 males, which is 87% less compared to the survey 20 years ago. Quails were found in 56% fewer squares. Since Quail populations are known to fluctuate greatly between years, we think that the most realistic long-term estimate for population decline would be somewhere between 50 to 90%. We detected that within only one week males stopped calling in some squares, while in others they began calling although they had not been detected there before, indicating possible relocations. This dynamics should be considered when designing a population monitoring protocol for the Quail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]