Title:

Selection of Breeding Cliffs by Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus in Crete (Greece)

Subtitle:

Wybór miejsc gniazdowych przez sępy płowe na Krecie ; Breeding sites of Griffon Vulture

Creator:

Xirouchakis, Stavros M ; Mylonas, Moysis

Contributor:

Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences

Publisher:

Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences

Place of publishing:

Warsaw

Date issued/created:

2005

Description:

pg(s) 155–161

Type of object:

Journal/Article

Subject and Keywords:

Griffon Vulture ; Gyps fulvus ; nest sites ; breeding ; Crete ; sęp płowy ; Kreta

Abstract:

A multivariate analysis was carried out in order to investigate the most influential habitat variables and related features in the selection of breeding cliffs by the Griffon Vulture in Crete. The species was found nesting in mid-altitude areas, close to stock-raising units, on high limestone cliffs, which were also well protected against the prevailing winds of the island. A principal components analysis, which explained 53% of the total variance of the variables examined, differentiated Griffon Vulture colonies in relation to their isolation from other colonies, accessibility to humans and proximity to food resources. In addition, a stepwise discriminant function analysis between breeding and random cliffs included the height of the cliff, its substratum, the altitude, and the distance to the stock breeding unit in a model that successfully classified 97.1% of the nesting and 88.2% of the random cliffs. In comparison to continental regions the Griffon Vulture colonies in Crete were located on higher cliffs but at a lower altitude. This fact should be attributed to the species nesting on steep coastal cliffs close to the livestock's wintering areas.

Relation:

Acta Ornithologica

Volume:

40

Issue:

2

Start page:

155

End page:

161

Resource type:

Text

Detailed Resource Type:

Journal

Format:

text/xml

Resource Identifier:

10.3161/068.040.0211

Source:

MiIZ PAN, call no. P.257 ; MiIZ PAN, call no. P.4568 ; click here to follow the link

Language:

eng

Language of abstract:

pol ; eng

Rights:

Rights Reserved - Free Access

Terms of use:

Copyright-protected material. May be used within the limits of statutory user freedoms

Digitizing institution:

Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Original in:

Library of the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Access:

Open