Role of landscape elements on the recent distributional expansion of the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) in agroecosystems of the Pampas, Argentina

ZUFIAURRE, EMMANUEL; ABBA, AGUSTÍN; BILENCA, DAVID; CODESIDO, MARIANO

WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL SOC

Año: 2016 vol. 128 p. 306 - 313

1559-4491

ABSTRACT.?Previous studies of European Starling in Argentina have focused on identifying biological aspects correlated with establishment of new populations in urban and suburban areas. Starlings have recently invaded rural areas in the Pampas. To understand the factors involved in the recent expansion of European Starling into these rural habitats, we investigated how expansion patterns were associated with season, proportion of crop fields, distance to woodlots, and distance to small and big urban centers in agroecoystems of the Pampas. We surveyed 392 fields during 2011-2013 to collect data on starling presence and landscape features. We found that the range of the European Starling has expanded by a total area of about 65,000 km2 since 2005, at a linear range expansion rate of 22.2 km per year. Generalized linear mixed model analysis revealed that the presence of European Starlings was significantly related with reduced distances to the nearest small urban area. Our findings indicate that range expansion of European Starlings into rural areas of Argentina may follow a neighborhood diffusion pattern, by which well-established populations act as sources of individuals that disperse short distances into nearby favorable areas. In the absence of human control, this species is expected to continue its spread and population increase. We call for an urgent control program of starlings efficiently and effectively in the Pampas.