LifeWatch ERIC Metadata Catalogue
Breeding populations of 12 species of colonial waterbirds in northwestern Italy, 1972-2018.
Default
Identification
- Alternate Identifier
- bdc791a7-7678-44ad-a311-bd30c5086a06
- Publication Date
- 2022-01-20
- Title
- Breeding populations of 12 species of colonial waterbirds in northwestern Italy, 1972-2018.
- Abstract
- The dataset contains the results of a monitoring program carried out from 1972 to 2018 on the breeding populations of 12 species of colonial waterbirds (Families Ardeidae, Phalacrocoracidae, Plataleidae, Threskiornitidae) throughout an area of 58,000 square kilometers in northwestern Italy. The dataset provides estimates of the number of nests of each species, at each of the 419 breeding sites, and for each of the 47 years (a total of 236.316 data). The survey of the colonies, and the count of nests at each colony, were performed by a trained team of collaborators, using standardized field techniques and under a centralized coordination. During the five decades of monitoring, the breeding populations underwent large changes. The number of yearly active colonies increased from 45 in 1972 to 278 in 2018, and throughout the same period the five species that were breeding in 1972 were joined by seven new breeding species, including the allochthonous Sacred Ibis. The populations of herons and egrets increased greatly from 1985 to 2000, likely due to reduced human-induced mortality and to climatic variations (Fasola et al. 2010 DOI 10.1007/s10144-009-0165-1). After 2000, this positive trend reversed into a strong decline for Ardea cinerea, Egretta garzetta and Nycticorax nycticorax in the sector of the monitored area (paddies) where their main foraging habitats are rice paddies, in connection with a change in rice cultivation practices that progressively reduced the extent of flooding. Noteworthily, the same species remained stable or continued to increase in the two other sectors (rivers and uplands) where the birds forage over natural habitats.
- Dataset Creator
- Dataset Creator
- Metadata Provider
- Metadata Provider
- Metadata Provider
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Alessandria Gianfranco
- Associated Party
-
Co Principal Investigator Giovanni Boano
- Associated Party
-
Co Principal Investigator Eleonora Boncompagni
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Anna Brangi
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Franco Carpegna
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Mauro Della Toffola
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Flavio Ferlini
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Alessandra Gagliardi
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Arturo Gargioni
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Laura Gola
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Nunzio Grattini
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Marco Gustin
- Associated Party
-
Co Principal Investigator Franco Lavezzi
- Associated Party
-
Co Principal Investigator Lorenzo Maffezzoli
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Antonio Marchitelli
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Cesare Martignoni
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Giuliana Pirotta
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Ivan Provini
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Maurizio Ravasini
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Alessandro Re
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Bassano Riboni
- Associated Party
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Co Principal Investigator Enrico Viganò
- Dataset Contact
- Dataset Contact
- Keywords (None )
-
- Waterbirds
- Breeding birds
- Herons
- Egrets
- Cormorants
- Population dynamics
- Monitoring
- Rice paddies
- Wetlands
- Italy
Geographic Coverage
- Geographic Description
- The existing colonies of the 12 species were monitored within the administrative boundaries of the whole Lombardy and Piedmont Regions, and the Provinces of Piacenza, Parma, and Reggio Emilia in the Emilia-Romagna Region. This wide study area includes a variety of macro-habitats, ranging from the natural residual wetlands of the Po Plain to the mid-altitude alpine valleys and including wide urban areas as those of the main cities of Milan and Turin. The center of the study area, whmere most colonies were present in 1972 and where the population of the censused species are still most abundant, is the sector of intensive rice cultivation in Lombardy and Piedmont.
Bounding Box
- West Bounding Coordinate
- 7.1667
- East Bounding Coordinate
- 11.4333
- North Bounding Coordinate
- 46.2667
- South Bounding Coordinate
- 44.1833
Temporal Coverage
Range of Dates
- Begin Date
-
1972-01-01
- End Date
-
2018-12-31
Taxonomic Coverage
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Ardea cinerea
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Ardea purpurea
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Ardeola ralloides
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Egretta garzetta
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Nycticorax nycticorax
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Bubulcus ibis
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Phalacrocorax carbo
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Threskiornis aethiopicus
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Ardea alba
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Microcarbo pygmeus
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Plegadis falcinellus
Taxonomic Classification
- Taxonomic Rank Name
- Species
- Taxonomic Rank Value
- Platalea leucorodia
License Information
- Intellectual Rights
- This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Distribution
Online
- A brief description of the the content of online URL.
- DOI
Online
- A brief description of the the content of online URL.
- Info and download page on the LifeWatch Italy Data Portal
Projects
Projects
• Project
Methods
Methods
• Method
Method Step
- Description
-
All the active colonies were located each year throughout the monitored area, taking advantage of the repeated occupation of traditional colony sites, and of the easily spotted groups of birds breeding in patches of seminatural vegetation within cultivated landscapes. We defined as a “colony” the whole of the breeding birds, their nests and the biotope where they are placed. In most cases, the nests in a colony were tightly clumped and clearly segregated from neighboring clumps. Groups of nests distant at least 1 km were classified as distinct colonies, while groups of nests at distance less than 1 km - so that breeding birds could interact visually or vocally - were classified as a single colony.
The nests counts were performed by expert ornithologists, during repeated visits to each colony throughout the breeding season. The counts aimed to estimate the total number of nests that were spotted at the peak of colony occupation by each species, that spanned from March for early breeders such as Ardea cinerea to June for late ones such as Ardeola ralloides. Four standardized techniques were used to estimate the total number of nests, each suited to differing habitats, colony size, and heron species. 1) Ground count of all the nests was the preferred technique, performed for easily accessible colonies, and for small (< 100 nests) and monospecific colonies. 2) Post-nesting ground count was performed for some large multi-species colonies when ground counts would produce excessive disturbance to the breeders and when foliage cover prevented precise counts during breeding. In these cases, the number of nests was estimated in four successive steps. The proportion of each species within the colony was estimated for a sample of nests observed during at least two visits during the breeding season. The total number of nests was counted during the subsequent autumn as soon as the nests become eventually visible just after the leaves have fallen. The number of nests of each species was calculated by applying the proportions recorded during breeding to the total autumn count. Eventually, this number of nests was corrected by a conversion factors (1.12 for Ardea cinerea, and 1.06 for the other species) that account for the average number of nests that disappear between the breeding period and autumn count of the step. These conversion factors had been calculated in the early years of the census as average ratio between total counts performed at the same colony during breeding and again during the subsequent autumn. 3) Aerial count of nests on low-altitude photos taken from ultralight aircrafts were used throughout the entire monitoring period for colonies in reed beds. Since 2015, nest numbers were increasingly estimated on photos taken from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV drones) at elevations from 15 to 30 m above the nests, integrated by ground checks where possible. Surveys by drones are time-efficient and minimize disturbance to breeding birds. 4) Estimates based on the number of visible nests, and on foraging flights observed from the colony edge, were adopted in a few cases of small (< 100 nests) and completely inaccessible heronries where other techniques were inapplicable. When a precise number of nests could not be estimated, we assessed whether a species bred or not in a given colony and year (presence/absence only). The same census technique was normally adopted year after year for the same colony, and some colonies were censused by the same collaborator throughout the entire monitoring period. Training sessions were held with the collaborators, in order to assure the comparability of the results.
Sampling
- Study Extent
-
The dataset includes the estimated number of nests for each colony throughout the monitored area, and for each year and breeding species. We deem that all the existing colonies of the 12 waterbird species were monitored throughout the entire area, although a few cases of small groups of nests and of solitary nests of Ardea cinerea and of Nycticorax nycticorax may have been overlooked.
The dataset includes the estimated number of nests for each colony throughout the monitored area, and for each year and breeding species. We deem that all the existing colonies of the 12 waterbird species were monitored throughout the entire area, although a few cases of small groups of nests and of solitary nests of Ardea cinerea and of Nycticorax nycticorax may have been overlooked.
- Sampling Description
- The nests counts were performed by expert ornithologists, during repeated visits to each colony throughout the breeding season. Four standardized techniques were used to estimate the total number of nests, each suited to differing habitats, colony size, and heron species: 1) ground count of all the nests; 2) post-nesting ground count; 3) aerial count of nests on low-altitude photos taken from ultralight aircrafts; 4) estimates based on the number of visible nests, and on foraging flights observed from the colony edge. When a precise number of nests could not be estimated, we assessed whether a species bred or not in a given colony and year (presence/absence only). The same census technique was normally adopted year after year for the same colony, and some colonies have been censused by the same collaborator throughout the entire monitoring period.
Data Tables
Data Tables
• Data Table
- Name
- Waterbirds_Italy_1978_2018_V1.csv
Attribute List
AttributeVvmZfzHlNxqPMvMDKt7JmqNdDa2hsd
- Name
- catalogNumber
- Definition
- An identifier (preferably unique) for the record within the data set or collection.
AttributevhvuUZcc0aeLFBRAmJfFJEPWCVanXw
- Name
- decimalLatitude
- Definition
- The geographic latitude (in decimal degrees, using the spatial reference system given in geodeticDatum) of the geographic center of a Location.
AttributePLGTIl23rbXilaXwZrn0ZPm0l9Gfin
- Name
- decimalLongitude
- Definition
- The geographic longitude (in decimal degrees, using the spatial reference system given in geodeticDatum) of the geographic center of a Location. Positive values are east of the Greenwich Meridian, negative values are west of it.
AttributezqZr0QuZ1luRcHx6CTkNb7LSbuTztf
- Name
- coordinateUncertaintyInMeters
- Definition
- The horizontal distance (in meters) from the given decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude describing the smallest circle containing the whole of the Location.
AttributeheZE5Aaf64qPVab5yyVviJURTX5ZQR
- Name
- eventID
- Definition
- An identifier for the set of information associated with an Event (something that occurs at a place and time). May be a global unique identifier or an identifier specific to the data set.
AttributeSs3hmBMTHtC9Rul3cIbfuCCJy1XpWy
- Name
- Sector
- Definition
- A category or description of the sector of the study area.
Attributemc0y3xAe8TUFoZpcQm4v1ayN392OcZ
- Name
- Habitat
- Definition
- A category or description of the habitat in which the Event occurred.
Attributecm77G3q5rokpW2B7atROrGF58TnsoI
- Name
- eventDate
- Definition
- The date-time or interval during which an Event occurred. For occurrences, this is the date-time when the event was recorded.
AttributeSC79HfOgRTbktGcf3EaWINoobf4h9n
- Name
- scientificName
- Definition
- The full scientific name, with authorship and date information if known. When forming part of an Identification, this should be the name in lowest level taxonomic rank that can be determined. This term should not contain identification qualifications, which should instead be supplied in the IdentificationQualifier term.
Attribute0MphbO3ecD8C1nfXaOLEzpXWzh81Xw
- Name
- scientificNameID
- Definition
- An identifier for the nomenclatural (not taxonomic) details of a scientific name.
AttributevtbkGO4kv5d1XlfXW86bTceKivcSxT
- Name
- scientificNameAutorship
- Definition
- The authorship information for the scientificName formatted according to the conventions of the applicable nomenclaturalCode.
AttributesGl430puuy99b9mHru1iGApTcJgGRG
- Name
- occurenceStatus
- Definition
- A statement about the presence or absence of a Taxon at a Location.
AttributeWue3pwtTEFNfTr855iMghpMDmMTTgJ
- Name
- nestCount
- Definition
- The number of nests, or a value -1 when nesting was confirmed but the number of nests could not be assessed.
AttributeS9T8qkpo1JeNCXDaiszrukx8EJSxA8
- Name
- verbatimLocality
- Definition
- The original textual description of the place. Format of the site name used during the survey: two-letters code of the Italian Province _ name of the Municipality (in case of doble place names, the second one is abbreviated) and sequential number within the same Municipality in order of year of settlement of the colony _ toponym. In some cases, instead of the name the Municipality, the given name is that of a prominent landscape feature such as a river of a lake.
