Birds of prey

We quantified the diet of the Chilean Hawk (Accipiter chilensis) by analyzing 495 prey remains collected during two breeding seasons (2001-2002 and 2002-2003) in an Andean Nothofagus forest of Nevados de Chillán, northern Patagonia. The diet was almost exclusively birds (97.8% of all prey remains), with relatively few rodents (1.6%) and insects (0.6%). At least 19 vertebrate species composed the prey remains (1 small mammal and 18 bird species), with Austral Thrush (Turdus falcklandii), White-crested Elaenia (Elaenia albiceps), Black-chinned Siskin (Carduelis barbata), Fire-eyed Diucon (Xolmis pyrope), and Thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda) being the most common. All identified vertebrate prey are known to use forest habitats; 47% (n ϭ 9) are forest specialists. Prey that inhabit both forest and shrublands accounted for 82% of the remains, and 18% of prey remains were of forest specialists. Our results indicate that during the breeding season, Chilean Hawks in Nevados de Chillán are pre-eminent, bird-eating predators that feed primarily on forest-dwelling birds.

Whether predators can limit their prey has been a topic of scientific debate for decades. Traditionally it was believed that predators take only wounded, sick, old or otherwise low-quality individuals, and thus have little impact on prey populations. However, there is increasing evidence that, at least under certain circumstances, vertebrate predators may indeed limit prey numbers. This potential role of predators as limiting factors of prey populations has created conflicts between predators and human hunters, because the hunters may see predators as competitors for the same resources. A particularly acute conflict has emerged over the past few decades between gamebird hunters and birds of prey in Europe. As a part of a European-wide research project, we reviewed literature on the relationships between birds of prey and gamebirds. We start by analysing available data on the diets of 52 European raptor and owl species. There are some 32 species, mostly specialist predators feeding on small mammals, small passerine birds or insects, which never or very rarely include game animals (e.g. hares, rabbits, gamebirds) in their diet. A second group (20 species) consists of medium-sized and large raptors which prey on game, but for which the proportion in the diet varies temporally and spatially. Only three raptor species can have rather large proportions of gamebirds in their diet, and another seven species may utilise gamebirds locally to a great extent. We point out that the percentage of a given prey species in the diet of an avian predator does not necessarily reflect the impact of that predator on densities of prey populations. Next, we summarise available data on the numerical responses of avian predators to changing gamebird numbers. In half of these studies, no numerical response was found, while in the remainder a response was detected such that either raptor density or breeding success increased with density of gamebirds. Data on the functional responses of raptors were scarce. Most studies of the interaction between raptors and gamebird populations give some estimate of the predation rate (per cent of prey population taken by predator), but less often do they evaluate the subsequent reduction in the pre-harvest population or the potential limiting effect on breeding numbers. The few existing studies indicate that, under certain conditions, raptor predation may limit gamebird populations and reduce gamebird harvests. However, the number and extent of such studies are too modest to draw firm conclusions. Furthermore, their geographical bias to northern Europe, where predator-prey communities are typically simpler than in the south, precludes extrapolation to more diverse southern European ecosystems. There is an urgent need to develop further studies, particularly in southern Europe, to determine the functional and numerical responses of raptors to gamebird populations in species and environments other than those already evaluated in existing studies. Furthermore, additional field experiments are needed in which raptor and possibly also mammalian predator numbers are manipulated on a sufficiently large spatial and temporal scale. Other aspects that have been little studied are the role of predation by the non-breeding part of the raptor population, or floaters, on the breeding success and survival of gamebirds, as well as the effect of intra-guild predation. Finally there is a need for further research on practical methods to reduce raptor predation on gamebirds and thus reduce conflict between raptor conservation and gamebird management.

We propose that cavity-nesting bird communities are structured in nest webs analogous to food webs, where interspeci®c and intraspeci®c interactions are centered around nest site availability. Our sites of mixed deciduous coniferous forest in northcentral BC, Canada, support a rich diversity of eight species of primary cavity nesters (PCNs) (woodpeckers), four species of weak cavity nesters (nuthatch, chickadees) and 20 secondary cavity-nesting species (ducks, passerines and birds of prey). Richness varied across forest-types with some plots being`hotspots' and others being depauperate. Across a range of foresttypes, we measured species richness and abundance of birds and squirrels using point count census techniques, playbacks of taped calls of woodpeckers and owls, and by searching for active nests. We also measured resource use (trees able to support cavities, or existing cavities) in relation to availability (tree species, abundance and habitat characteristics such as edge-type and degree of fragmentation). In both 1995 and 1996, we found signi®cant positive correlations between the abundance of primary and secondary cavity-nesting birds, and negative correlations between both of these groups and weak cavity excavators. None of the three cavity-nesting groups was positively correlated with open-nesting (non-cavity) forest birds, rejecting our null hypothesis of common habitat quality. In contrast, the abundance of secondary cavity-nesting species was signi®cantly negatively correlated with non-cavity species, possibly because these species compete for resources other than nest sites, such as invertebrate prey. Using these data, we construct a nest web for the cavity-nesting community in northcentral British Columbia. This approach demonstrated strong and weak links among species in the web and identi®ed key species whose presence may be critical to the integrity of the community. We plan to test how nest web structure shifts in response to different forest-cutting regimes, and whether changes in species richness and abundance can be ameliorated with selective harvesting. #

- After the exceptional influx of Booted eagles Hieraaetus pennatus from Western Europe in October 2004, we reviewed thespecies’ presence in Italy over the period December 2004 - February 2005 and during spring 2005. We documented the size of the spe-cies’ wintering population by gathering the sightings from various regions of Italy. We surveyed the spring migration of the speciesthrough simultaneous raptor counts at several sites (mostly in Sicily and Sicilian islands). The remarkable wintering population of 2004-2005 (estimated range: 173 - 202 individuals) was related to the unusual migratory influx that took place in the previous autumn and itagrees with an apparent trend towards an increasing number of birds wintering in southern Italy, particularly in Sicily (estimated range :132 – 157 individuals). The northward spring migration observed from the southern regions of Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast (towardsFrance), validates the hypothesis of a West European origin of the ind...

The major goal of this study was to determine whether protective measures in the case of the Eurasian Griffon Vulture are in accordance with public priorities. To this end we used the Travel Cost (TCM) and Contingent Valuation Methods (CVM) to estimate its value. We also determined the break even point in the allocation of funds targeted to protection at the regional level and performed a cost-benefit analysis of conservation efforts on a national level in Israel. The value of the marginal vulture was found to be approximately 34,000 NIS at Gamla and 316,000 NIS at Hai-Bar Nature Reserves. The economic efficiency of feeding stations was examined from two aspects: At the regional level, the break-even point for a feeding station to be efficient was 0.24 and 2.20 vultures per year for the Hai-Bar and Gamla NRs respectively. At the national level, in most cases, the national project to save vultures, 'Porsim Kanaf' ('Porsim Kanaf' is the national birds of prey conservation project in Israel) passes a Cost-Benefit test based on the valuation results.

The Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) uses mainly soaring flight during migration and avoids long water crossings between Italy and Africa by crossing at the Strait of Gibraltar. Observations were made 15-26 September 2000 at four sites in the central Mediterranean area: Arenzano (Ligurian Apennines, northwest Italy), Circeo promontory (central Italy), Marettimo (southern Italy) and Malta. In addition, 68 hr of observations were made 18-24 September 1998, 1999, and 2000 over the Apuane Alps along the western slope of central Italy. At Arenzano, 476 Short-toed Eagles were counted (5.4/ hr) consisting of 368 adults, 6 immatures, and 102 juveniles, with an overlap in the migration periods of age classes. The Short-toed Eagles migrated in flocks averaging 4.3 _+ 0.9 (SE) birds. Over the Apuane Alps, 289 Short-toed Eagles, all migrating northwest, were counted (4.3/hr). Few birds were seen at the other three sites, with a maximum of eight individuals recorded at Marettimo. These results confirm the circuitous autumn migration around the Mediterranean of Short-toed Eagles breeding in central Italy and suggest that at least some juveniles learn this route by following the adults.

Intraspecific variation in plumage may have a functional significance in mate choice. As a result, breeding birds are often paired assortatively with respect to colour. However, whether this within-pair correlation is a result of homotypic preference whereby individuals pick a mate that looks like themselves, or directional preference whereby all individuals have the same phenotypic preference, is often unknown. Using data collected between 1989 and 2006, we describe intraspecific variation in the striking white feathers on the leading edge of the wing, lesser coverts and mantle of 144 Spanish imperial eagles (Aquila adalberti), one of the most endangered birds of prey in the world. Females had, on average, more white than males, and pairs mated in a positive assortative fashion. Coloration was not related to age of the bird, food supply (i.e., territory quality) or breeding productivity. Our results are most consistent with the process of homotypic-preference assortative mating, and this may be a result of sexual imprinting, and function as a mechanism to optimize the degree of outbreeding. This pattern of mate selection may explain the rapid evolutionary divergence of A. adalberti from the continental population of imperial eagle A. heliaca.

Historically the species was widespread and very common; the decline of the population probably took place at the end of 19th century and went on in the first decades of the 20th century. At the moment there are 20-22/25 breeding pairs, 15-20 of which in the north-west while the others are to be found in the middle-east and in the south of the island. The current population is the same estimated in the period 1970-1980, but compared to the past the range has reduced. The species breeds on trees (h 13-20 m) on open valleys, usually in groves and reforestation areas, also near urban areas and roads above 3-400 m above sea level. The earliest layings take place around mid-March, juveniles fledge between the first two weeks of June and July. In Sardinia it is a regularly migratory and wintering species, but data are inadequate in order to understand whether the whole population is sedentary. Limiting factors are linked above all to direct human intervention (poaching, poisoned bites, etc.) and to changes in farming techniques and sheep-breeding. Besides, individuals wounded or killed by firearms and nests deserted owing to photographers disturbance were recorded. Another danger is represented by electrical power lines and, above all, by wind farms: these are growing considerably
on the whole Sardinian territory and are endangering other protected birds of prey such as Gyps fulvus, Circus sp., Aquila chrysaetos and other rare species such as Tetrax tetrax.

For the past five years I’ve been doing research on the cognitive abilities of African Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus), attempting to document not only their remark-able linguistic abilities but also examining the way that they interact with their human caretakers, specifically Greys who have been home-raised and hence exposed to a language-rich environment. Given that literally no work has been done on the linguistic abilities of Greys raised in home environments, the research I’ve carried out to date and which will be discussed in this chapter must be viewed as preliminary, although not necessarily ground-breaking for that term needs to be applied to the outstanding research that Dr. Irene Pepperberg has carried out in her laboratory where she demonstrated the remarkable cognitive abilities of her Greys, Alex, Griffin and Arthur.
Pepperberg’s conclusion—which is accepted by animal behaviourists—is that the cognitive abilities of Greys allow them to be ranked as having reasoning skills equivalent to those of a 2- to 3-year-old human child and in some specific areas the tests showed that a Grey is capable of performing at the level of a 5-year old. Quite surprisingly, leaving aside the outstanding work of Pepperberg and her highly insightful commentaries on the speech production and verbal interactions that her Greys had with her and members of her laboratory staff (Pepperberg 2009), to my knowledge, there still has been no inquiry into how the proven cognitive abilities of these laboratory-trained birds relate to the way that home-raised Greys communicate verbally with humans. While there is a plethora of studies and speculations about how songbirds acquire their songs, no such similar work has been done on Greys in home settings. In any case, Pepperberg’s remarkable research results provide support for the following proposition: that there would be nothing inherently wrong with suggesting complex cognitive interpretations of the verbal performance of home-raised Greys given that the species in question has already been proven to have high intelligence (Waal 2016:41–42).

Riassunto – Si presenta la prima checklist della Basilicata aggiornata al 31 Maggio 2008. Le informazioni riguardanti l'avifauna lucana sono ancora molto scarse e frammentarie a causa del basso sforzo di ricerca effettuato nella regione. Si ritiene per-tanto estremamente utile fornire un primo contributo che sintetizzi lo stato attuale delle conoscenze, al fine di ottenere uno strumento di supporto ad eventuali ricerche future. Abstract – Checklist of the birds of the Region Basilicata updated to May 2008.  Information on the birds of the Region Basilicata is very scanty because of the low intensity of research in region. We present the first work that synthesize the actual knowledge status.

Age and sex structure of Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) in feeding areas of central Chile.-The age and sex structures of the Andean Condor are known for some parts of its range while in other such areas data are lacking. The aim of this study was to obtain demographic data from the Andes of central Chile and to compare them with those available from other areas of distribution. From 2009-2010, we studied the age and sex structure of the Andean Condor in central Chile at feeding sites. Four carrion points were provided by us. The carrion comprised carcasses of sheep, donkey, and gua-naco. Condor abundance at experimental carrion (mean = 36.25, SE = 48.45) was highly variable (CV = 134%), and we observed a higher proportion of adults (54%) than immatures (46%). Overall the sex ratio of adults was male-biased (52:48). The age and sex structures in our study are consistent with those found in other areas of the species' distribution. Our results show a higher proportion of adult birds and males at feeding sites in the Andes of central Chile, which has implications on the population viability of the Andean Condor. Resumen.-La estructura de edad y sexo de Cóndor Andino (Vultur gryphus) es conocida en algunas partes de su rango mientras que en otras estos datos son escasos. El objetivo de este estudio fue obtener datos demográficos de los Andes de Chile central y compararlos con los disponibles en otras áreas de su distribución. Desde 2009 a 2010 estudiamos la estructura de edad y sexo de Cóndor Andino en lugares de alimentación de Chile central. Cuatro puntos de carroñas fueron proporcionados por el hombre (carroñas experimentales). Las carroñas consistieron en cadáveres de oveja, burro y guanaco. La abundancia de cóndores en las carroñas experimentales (media = 36,25, DE = 48,45) fue muy variable (CV = 134%), y observamos una mayor proporción de cóndores adultos (54%) que inmaduros (46%). En general, la proporción de sexos en los adultos estuvo sesgada hacia los machos (52:48). Las estructuras de edad y sexo en nuestro estudio son consistentes con lo encontrado en otras áreas de la distribución de la especie. Nuestros resultados muestran una proporción mayor de aves adultas y machos en sitios de alimentación de los Andes de Chile central, lo cual tiene implicancia en la viabilidad poblacional del Cóndor Andino.

This is an update to the "Status, distribution and population of breeding birds in Sardinia (Italy) to 1995" published at the end of the last century by the same author. This work examines the species that have been breeding in Sardinia since the nineteenth century (or just before) up to 2016. For each species it highlights status, size of population and map of distribution in the most recent period (about the last 5-10 years). It also analyzes:
a) the possible breeding species;
b) the supposedly extinct species;
c) the species considered for a long time as more or less regular breeding in the island, but which lack recent evidence and therefore can be regarded as "likely extinct";
d) the dynamics of the population and the variation of the distribution of each species in the most recent period (trend).
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We report the data on the first findings of Eagle Owl in Sardinia. An adult individual of the nominal subspecies with the mark "Nuoro, 15th October 1946" was found in a private collection in northern Italy. Another individual was seen flying over the sea 5 miles from the south coast of Sardinia on 11th July 1991.
In winter 1988-89 in Cagliari an individual of Eagle Owl was caught alive with strings around the tarsi; it had flown away after being taken in captivity. After some weeks, in the same town an individual (possibly the same one found previously free) was found drowned in water tank. Considering the phenology and the distribution of this species in Europe we think that at least the bird checked over the sea is a wild individual.

Se dan a conocer los registros colectados durante la temporada 2021 del proyecto. Estos en total fueron 154, repartidos en las provincias de Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Santa fe, Rio Negro, Santa Cruz, La Pampa, Tierra del fuego, Chubut, Entre Rios y San Luis. También se registraron dos eventos de nidificación, dos de Cleptoparasitismo y ejemplar atropellado.

Aflatoxins, a group of related secondary metabolites of Aspergillus fungi, are commonly found on grains and seeds. Numerous outbreaks of acute aflatoxicosis have been documented worldwide and several epidemiological studies have shown a highly significant, positive correlation between human hepatic carcinoma and dietary aflatoxin contamination. Hair analysis has been introduced as an alternative or complementary method for testing the chemicals. The aim of this study was to identify aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), in human hair by HPLC.

Resumen • El chimango (Milvago chimango) es el miembro más abundante de los ensambles de aves rapaces desde Paraguay y Bolivia hasta el extremo sur de Argentina. En la Patagonia argentina estudiamos la nidificación de una población de chimangos que aprovecha n cavidades construidas por Psittaciformes en un ensamble ornitológico único: 12 km de acantilados marinos con 37.000 nidos activos de lo ros barranqueros (Cyanoliseus patagonus). Durante 56 días, evaluamos 18 nidos activos de chimangos (11 en 2014 y 7 en 2015) y registramos por primera vez la construcción de nidos de chimangos dentro de cavidades. Todos los nidos contenían material vegetal en su interior y poseían alguna estructura para facilitar el aterrizaje y el posado (balcones, salientes y/o repisas). La mayoría de los nidos se ubicaron en el tercio superior del acantilado y poseían una única boca de entrada. La distancia promedio entre nidos de chimango fue de 108,9 m. Nuestros resultados documentan un sustrato de anidación y cría nuevo para esta especie y un comportamiento de nidificación único en Falconi dae, lo que podría interpretarse como una evidencia de adaptabilidad y plasticidad del chimango.

Nótulas Nótulas RESUMEN. En este estudio se proporcionan nuevos registros de nidificación del jote cabeza negra (Coragyps atratus) y del jote cabeza colorada (Cathartes aura) para la provincia de Río Negro. Jotes cabeza colorada ubicaron nidos en arbustos y en cavidades de roquedales, mientras que los de cabeza negra lo hicieron en arbustos, en un hueco de acantilado y en una construcción humana. Los jotes cabeza colorada nidificaron de forma solitaria, pero en algunos casos, los nidos estaban ubicados con menos de 100 metros de separación. Los jotes cabeza negra nidificaron tanto de forma solitaria como agrupada. Ambas especies de jotes nidificaron asociadas con gavilanes cenicientos (Circus cinereus) y chimangos (Milvago chimango) en el A.N.P. Bahía San Antonio y una agrupación reproductiva de jotes cabeza negra lo hizo en una colonia mixta de aves en el Parque Nacional Islote Lobos. Este último sitio se constituye en el registro de nidificación más sudoriental de reproducción de este jote, a escala global. ABSTRACT. BREEING OF THE TURKEY VULTURE (Cathartes aura) AND BLACK VULTURE (Coragyps atratus) IN THE GULF OF SAN MATIAS, RIO NEGRO, PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA. In the present article we provide new breeding records for the black vulture (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) for Rio Negro province. Turkey vultures placed their nests in thickets and between rocks in rocky outcrops, while black vultures used thickets, a hole on a seacliff and a man-made structure. Turkey vultures were solitary nesters but in some cases nests were placed less than 100 meters apart. Black vultures were solitary nesters but also were seen breeding in a group. Both vulture species nested in association with cinereus harriers (Circus cinereus) and chimango caracaras (Milvago chimango) in the A.N.P. Bahía San Antonio, and a loose colony of black vultures in a mixed bird colony at National Park Islote Lobos. This last site seems to be the southeasternmost breeding record worldwide for the species.

In this article I describe a case of pyric carnivory observed during a roadside raptor survey in northern Corrientes province, Argentina. In a fire front of about two kilometers long, 213 raptors of five species were detected: 190 chimango caracaras (Milvago chimango), 13 southern crested caracaras (Caracara plancus), four savanna hawks (Buteogallus meridinalis), three white-tailed hawks (Geranoaetus albicaudatus) and three aplomado falcons (Falco femoralis). This raptor concentration was such, that its numbers were superior to the total number of birds of prey counted in free-fire areas that day (191 raptors/177 km). I especially highlight the pyrophilic behavior of the chimango caracara, and suggest it may be a good study subject of pyric carnivory in southern Southamerica.

On 21th January 1995, a first-winter European Honey-buzzard, Pernis apivorus, has been photographed in the Oristano Gulf (west Sardinia, ltaly). The bird slayed in an area surrounded by a mixed Pinus and Eucalyptus re­ afforestation. In addition, on 5th January 1997, in Circeo National Park (Lazio, ltaly) a first-winter bird was found. During the rest of month, this last European Honey-buzzard stayed at two of the four Circeo lakes. lt frequented a mixed Pinus and Eucalyptus wood along the bank of one oi the two lakes.These observations constituted the first confirmed records of wintering European Honey-buzzard in ltaly and Europe.

This paper surveys the zooarchaeological evidence for the practice of hawking in England from its origins up to around AD 1500. Although there are some tantalising possible traces of hawking during the Roman (AD 43–410) and Early Anglo-Saxon (AD 410–650) periods, it became firmly established during the Middle Anglo-Saxon (AD 650–850) and Late Anglo-Saxon (AD 850–1066) periods. It continued to be popular from the Saxo-Norman period (AD 1066–mid-12th century) at least until the end of the 15th century and this time range produced bones from the widest variety of hawking birds. Hawking was potentially practiced by people belonging to various social levels, although it was especially popular amongst elites. However, from the Late Saxon period onwards, there are indications of some distinctions in the types of hawks favoured by different parts of society.

Esta enfermedad, transmitida por roedores silvestres, ha tenido una rápida emergencia en países latinoamericanos como Brasil, Argentina, Paraguay y Chile, considerándose ya una zoonosis panamericana, al ser conocida también en América del Norte. Los

Ölü uğurlama törenlerinin bir kısmı ölümden sonra insan ruhunun dünyadan uçarak, gökteki bir yere göçeceği inancına yöneliktir. Çoğunlukla gökte tasavvur edilen tanrı veya tanrılara eriştirmek için, cesedi veya cesedin içinde olan ruhu, bir şekilde göğe yükseltmenin yolları aranmıştır. Bu yöntemlerden en bilineni; kutsal ve temizleyici olduğuna inanılan ateşle, ölüyü yakarak buhar ve duman şeklinde göğe yollamaktır. Cesedi göğe yollama yönteminin en gizemlisi ise “Göksel Defin Töreni” yani ölüyü, tanrısal nitelikler yüklenen yırtıcı kuşlara vermektir. Bu çalışma; destan, efsane, eski edebi metinlerden yola çıkıyor ve günümüz Türkçesinde kullanılan kimi kelime, kelime öbeği ve deyimlerde bu iki defin yönteminin izlerini sürüyor.

A part of the dead farewell ceremonies had been made according to the belief that after death, human soul flies out of this world to a place in heaven. Most of the time, ways has been sought for the dead body or the spirit within the body to reach the sky for it’s where the imagined god or gods are up there. The most known of these methods is burning the corpse, they believed that sacred and purifying fire sends the soul into the sky in the form of steam and smoke. The most mysterious method of sending the body into the sky is "Sky Burial Ceremony", it’s giving the dead to the birds of prey which is loaded with the divine attributes. This study is based on epics, myths and old literary texts, however it follows the traces of these two burial methods in some of today's Turkish words, phrases and expressions.

Gli areali riproduttivi delle specie trattate sono stati attinti dai CD "Aves -Guida elettronica per l'Ornitologo" di Pierandrea Brichetti, su concessione dell'Autore. Gli areali di svernamento sono stati delineati da Nicola Baccetti e Lorenzo Serra. Renzo Ientile e Aurelio Manzi hanno cortesemente fornito precisazioni sulla distribuzione di alcune specie. (Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica).

Birds of prey have been, in comparison to other avian groups, an uncommon study model, mainly due to the limitations imposed by their conservative life strategy (low population density and turnover). Nonetheless, they have attracted a strong interest from the point of view of conservation biology because many populations have been close to extinction and because of their recognised role in ecosystems as top predators and scavengers and as flagship species. Today, after more than a century of persecution, and with the exception of some vultures still very much affected by illegal poisoning, many populations of birds of prey have experienced significant recoveries in many regions of Spain and the European Mediterranean. These changes pose new challenges when addressing the conservation of raptors in the coming decades. On this basis, and from a preferentially Mediterranean perspective, we have focused our attention on the need of describing and quantifying the role of these birds as providers of both regulating (rodent pest control and removal of livestock carcasses) and cultural ecosystem services. Moreover, we revisited persisting conflicts with human interests (predation of game species) and call attention to the emergence of new conflicts with a strong social and media component such as the predation on live cattle by vultures. Also, the rampant humanization of the environment determines the need for new solutions to the growing, yet scarcely explored, problem of accidents in new infrastructures such as mortality in wind farms. Finally, we explored in depth the ecological response of birds of prey to large-scale habitat changes such as urbanisation and abandonment of marginal lands that are also expected to increase in the near future. We urgently need more scientific knowledge to provide adequate responses to the challenge of keeping healthy populations of avian predators and scavengers in a rapidly changing world.

NESTING OF THE AMERICAN KESTREL (Falco sparverius) AND THE HARRIS HAWK (Parabuteo
unicinctus) IN BUENOS AIRES CITY, ARGENTINA. Observations of six nesting pairs of raptors were conducted in the
north side of Buenos Aires City. Five nesting sites of American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) and one of Harris Hawk (Parabuteo
unicinctus) were found. This work provides information about their nest characteristics and reproductive success.

On c 20 November 2011, an injured Peregrine Falco peregrinus with a Russian ring (Moskwa CS006254) picked up in Sardinia, Italy. The bird had a broken wing and was taken to a shelter. It was found to have been ringed as a nestling on 3 August 2011 ringed (nest with two young) in the Nenetsky Nature Reserve, Nenets, Siberia, Russia (68°20'N, 53°14'O). Based on this breeding location, it was a Tundra Peregrine Falcon F p calidus and the first report back of a ringed specimen of this subspecies in Italy. Recently, Tundra Peregrine Falcons have also been fitted with satellite transmitters equipped and results for three specimens from different parts of Siberia are shown in Figure 1 These include a female that wintered annually in Portugal and migrated over the northern Italy during both autumn and spring migration (with the exception of spring 2011 when the bird passed north of Italy). The issues surrounding recognition of calidus are briefly discussed on the basis of literature. Individual birds are probably not or only in exceptional cases determine subspecies with certainty.

The main aim of this paper is interpretation and  discussion of the meaning of birds in  Viking  Age  mortuary practices, beliefs, art as well as medieval written sources (e.g. Icelandic sagas, Poetic Edda). Special attention will be devoted to graves from Scandinavia and the British Isles in which the remains of various bird species were discovered

In contrast to contemporary Scandinavia with its many burials of men that include raptors, only very few human graves with bones of bird of prey are known from the Central European 1st millennium AD. This observation, plus the fact that most of the species identification in Central Europe referring to this go back to the 19th century, raise the question of whether even these few records are reliable. To understand the background of the determinations, the paper gives a short history of the discipline of archaeozoology with a species focus on the identification of bird remains. This part is followed by a presentation and discussion of all seven German and Swiss burials with bones, originally identified as being from a bird of prey. The finds from the sites of Quedlinburg-Boxhornschanze, Alach, and Eschwege, which all date to 550–640 AD and which all yielded female goshawks are highly reliable, which makes the link with falconry even more probable since, in falconry, owing to gender dimorphism, the larger females were used. In contrast, the identification of the raptor records from Selzen and Hedehusum are questionable, and the report from Staufen is scientifically not cceptable. The eagle claw at a grave in Elsau seems not to be connected with falconry since there was no pre-modern falconry with eagles in Europe as far as we know. The results of this study are in line with the present state of knowledge about the early history and distribution of falconry in Central Europe during the Migration Period and shortly after. Later on, traces of this kind of hunting disappeared from burials with the growing influence of Christianity. Another result of the study is that the identification of animal bones, even to species levels, in old publications back to the 19th century are generally not to be challenged.

During the poetry tour of UK and Europe, Bill and Daph hosted me in their delightful cottage in St Albans, following my Ver Poets recitation (April 27, 1998). I recall being transfixed by a tiny metal sculpture of an owl in the bedroom. It had a pair of large holes in place of eyes and I recall telling Bill that an Owl poem was bound to occur. And so it did a month later, one night in Graz, Austria. I must have then mailed it to Bill and 22 years later, emailed it to his daughter after learning that Bill had passed away.

The calligraphy was displayed in the Downloading Animals exhibition, Galerie Jean Cocteau. Bombay, April 6-10, 1999.
The poem was published in Alphabestiary, Holstein: Exile Editions, 2011. p.66

Cross Reference. See also
The note next to Daedalus (Calligraphy) in Poetry Section
Downloading Animals in Bat, Poetry Section
Alphabestiary in the Books section
VER Reading in Talks Section (forthcoming)

Archaeological, iconographic, ethno-historic, and ethnological sources reveal a wide range of traditional human-raptor interactions in Mesoamerica. Raptors-including vultures, hawks, eagles, owls, and falcons-have played a significant role in Mesoamerican cultures dating back to at least 500 BCE. In many prehistoric, historic, and contemporary Mesoamerican societies, raptors are members of a shared human lifeworld, where they provide messages and omens, are sources of spiritual power, link humans to the world of sacred and spirit beings, and serve as important emblems and aspirational identities for various human activities including leadership and combat.

A origem do nome do arquipélago dos Açores é um dos assuntos mais intrigantes sobre a história destas ilhas Atlânticas.
Das muitas teorias apresentadas ao longo dos tempos, a que defende a identificação errónea da espécie de ave de rapina, encontrada nestas ilhas, milhafre (Buteo buteo rothschildi) pelo Açor (Accipiter gentilis), esteve por trás da origem do nome do arquipélago, é presentemente a mais apoiada. Neste trabalho, recorreu-se a informação histórica compilada ao longo dos últimos séculos, com os dados biológicos e comportamentais das aves de rapina. Quando alinhadas cronologicamente as fontes escritas sobre o tema consegue-se perceber que as descrições iniciais da ave de rapina como de Açor no arquipélago, dão lugar a apenas citações vagas sobre a existência e desaparecimento desta ave na região, culminando com a negação total da existência das mesmas, justificando-se este facto com a ocorrência de um erro de identificação da ave.
Finalmente, a biologia e comportamento das espécies em apreço, Açor e Milhafre, também ajuda a perceber que o Açor, mais do que o milhafre, seria a espécie encontrada neste arquipélago pelos primeiros descobridores.

ABSTRACT
The origin of the name of the archipelago of the Azores is one of the most interesting issues about the history of these Atlantic islands.
Of the many theories presented over the years, the one that defends the erroneous identification of the bird of prey species, commonly found in these islands, common buzzard (Buteo buteo rothschildi), by a hawk-like species, was behind the origin of the name of the archipelago, is presently the most supported.
In this work, we used the historical information compiled over the last five centuries, with the biological and behavioral data of birds of prey. When the historical written sources were chronologically aligned it was possible to see that the initial descriptions of the presence of a hawk-like species in the archipelago give rise to only vague quotations about the existence and disappearance of this bird in the region, culminating in the total denial of existence of them, justifying this fact with the occurrence of an error of identification of the bird.
Finally, the biology and behavior of the species in question, hawk and the common buzzards, also helps to realize that the hawk, more than the buzzard, would be the species found in this archipelago by the first discoverers.

ABSTRACT.
OBSERVATIONS OF A SUCCESSFUL NEST OF SOUTHAMERICAN PEREGRINE FALCONS (Falco peregrinus cassini) IN ARGENTINA. PARENTAL CARE, ROLE OF THE SEXES AND YOUNG BEHAVIOUR. During 2013 breeding season, I studied a pair of South American Peregrine Falcons in northern Patagonia, Argentina. I obtained data from the last five days of the incubation period, five first days, and last ten of the nestling period. During the last days of the incubation, the nest was attended 99.22% of the time. The female spent 56.30% of the time incubating, while the male, 42.92%. During the first five days of the nestling period, female nest attendance (% of observation time) was 71.23% and that of the male, 24.69%. With respect to feeding provisioning, chicks were fed with a frequency of 0.51 per hour (feeds per hour) and average time per feed was 508 seconds. I estimated in 54 minutes per day, the time spent feeding chicks and in 6.4 the number of feeds per day. The nest was unattended (without parents) 4.08% of the time. During the last ten days of the nestling period, nest attendance by the female was 19.23% and by the male, 2.17%. The nest was left unattended 79.28% of the time. The number of feeds per hour was 0.41 and the feeding periods lasted, on average, 912 seconds. I estimated in 97 minutes per day, the time dedicated to feeds. Nestling period lasted 42-43 day. This study, that seems to be the first about parental care, sex partitioning and young behavior for Falco peregrinus cassini, shows, in general aspects, similarities with studies concerning pairs of other subspecies.