Title
Preliminary Habitat Models of Foraging and Roosting Sites Used by Two Rehabilitated Adult Male Andean Condors (Vultur gryphus) in Peru
Date Issued
01 June 2018
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Hernán Vargas F.
Sociedad para la Conservación del Oso de Anteojos Perú
Publisher(s)
Ornithological Societies of North America
Abstract
Satellite telemetry is widely used to generate information on species' use of space, which contributes to meeting conservation goals. Between June 2015 and September 2016, we obtained approximately 11,000 GPS points from two adult male Andean Condors (Vultur gryphus) that had been fitted with satellite transmitters and released in the central Andes of Peru. We used GPS coordinates and associated data to produce habitat distribution models (binomial Generalized Linear Models) from presence and pseudo-absence data of roosting sites and foraging areas visited by these individuals. The best potential habitats for Andean Condors in Peru were west of the Andes, from the border with Ecuador, south to Bolivia and Chile. Foraging areas of both individuals were at higher elevations than roosting sites (means: 3934 masl and 3356 masl, respectively). Roosting sites were in areas dominated by grasslands and agriculture, whereas foraging areas were dominated by puna grassland and brush. Conservation strategies for Andean Condors in Peru should be informed by data derived from satellite telemetry and should focus on preserving natural short vegetation above 3000 m west of the Andes for foraging and, for roosting sites, on maintaining areas free from the disturbances of road construction.
Start page
231
End page
239
Volume
52
Issue
2
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Zoología, Ornitología, Entomología, ciencias biológicas del comportamiento
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85047117275
Source
Journal of Raptor Research
ISSN of the container
08921016
Source funding
Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation
Sponsor(s)
We thank the Peregrine Fund and associated donors for financing this study: Margery Nicolson contributed funds for satellite transmitters; and Barbara Butler, Butler Foundation, and the Wolf Creek Charitable Foundation paid Argos service fees. Sebastián Kohn and Andrés Ortega helped attach the transmitters and release the Andean Condors. Jose Antonio Otero from El Huayco Breeding Center in Lima provided care and logistic support during rehabilitation and early monitoring of the released Andean Condors. The Peruvian Forestry Service (Servicio Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre del Ministerio de Agricultura y Riego) authorized the rehabilitation and release of these individuals. Fernando Regal from CDC-UNALM provided high-resolution satellite images for this study. Stuart J. Marsden provided useful comments that helped improve data analysis. We also thank the anonymous reviewers who helped improve earlier versions of this article.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus