Nesting tree and breeding territory selection by Southern Caracara (Caracara plancus) in pampean agroecosystems

JUAN M. GRANDE; JULIETA MALLET; MIGUEL A. SANTILLÁN; MARÍA S. LIÉBANA

Puerto Iguazú

Congreso; XVII Reunión Argentina de Ornitología XXIV Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia XCV Association of Field Ornithologists meeting; 2017

Birds of prey usually have large home ranges and thus, nesting or foraging habitat selection occurs at multiple spatial scales. Our objective is providing information on the use and selection of nesting site and nesting habitat by Southern Caracara (Caracara plancus) in an agricultural area of northeaster La Pampa Province. At nesting site level we recorded two variables, substratum tree species and height, in 23 occupied nests and 28 control points. For nesting habitat analysis we defined buffer areas in a 500m radius around the nest tree in 44 occupied nests and 34 control points. In each buffer we measured the surface covered by different land uses. Variables were grouped into five categories. The GLM results showed that at nesting site scale, the Caracaras chose higher trees (p