Investigação do andorinhão pálido. Apus pallidus

PALLID SWIFT'S STUDY AND MONITORING

The first research project supported by andorin is the study and monitoring of two Pallid Swift colonies. From these colonies, located in Vila Nova de Famalicão and Serra da Arrábida, relevant information on the ecology and biology of this species has been collected. The monitoring work in Serra da Arrábida is the result of a study that has been ongoing since 1993 and to which several researchers were associated. The monitoring in Vila Nova de Famalicão is a recent project that began in 2020. Besides the study of the colonies through scientific ringing sessions, in which the birds are individually marked with metal rings, work is being carried out with the aim of following their migratory movements and determining their wintering areas, studying habitat use throughout the annual cycle, phenology, moulting, feeding patterns and diet composition of these birds, thus filling in the gaps that exist on the life-style of the Pallid Swift.

Investigação do andorinhão pálido. Apus pallidus. migrações

The study of migratory movements, the determination of wintering areas, habitat use, phenology and feeding patterns is being carried out using electronic devices that record the birds' location. In turn, the diet composition study results from laboratory analysis of bird droppings and the search for genetic markers of prey among the collected samples. Up to now, 736 swifts have been captured and ringed in both colonies, 522 in the colony of Serra da Arrábida and 214 in the colony of Vila Nova de Famalicão. These works have set a longevity record for Portugal, with a 18 years 1 month and 13 days swift being captured in Serra da Arrábida. Regarding the study of the birds' movements, a total of 46 tracking devices were placed.

Colony of Arrábida

Investigação do andorinhão pálido. Apus pallidus. anilhagem científica. dna metabarcoding, logger gps

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Colony of Vila Nova de Famalicão

Investigação do andorinhão pálido. Apus pallidus. anilhagem científica. dna metabarcoding, logger gps

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The continuation of this work and the comparison of the results obtained in Vila Nova de Famalicão and Serra da Arrábida will allow us to understand the dynamics of these populations and better understand the biology and ecology of this species.

Luna, Á., Moreno, E., Pinzolas, J. A., Oliver, S., Meyer, S., Brodermann, O., Merino, C., Karaardıç, H., da Silva, L. P., Chatton, C., Laesser, J., Meier, C. M., Gutiérrez, J. S., Masero, J. A., Pérez, J., Kullberg, C., Pérez-Gómez, A., Mateos-González, F., Tigges, U., Toledo, B., & Rausell-Moreno, A. (2024). Anthropogenic debris as nest material in three swift species: New insights into the interactions of atmospheric pollution with wildlife. Science of The Total Environment, 949, 175171.

Hufkens, K., Meier, C. M., Evens, R., Arán Paredes, J., Karaardiç, H., Vercauteren, S., Gysel, A. V., Fox, J. W., Pacheco, C. M., Silva, L. P., Fernandes, S., Henriques, P., Elias, G., Costa, T. L., Poot, M., & Kearsley, L. (2023).

Moonlight synchronous flights across three western palearctic swifts mirror size dependent prey preferences.

bioRxiv, 2023-04.

Fernandes ,S., Mata, V. A., & da Silva, L. P. (2022).

Feeding ecology of a highly aerial bird during its long breeding season.

Avian Research, 14, 100073.

Kearsley, L., Ranc, N., Meier, C. M., Pacheco, C. M., Henriques, P., Elias, G., Poot, M., Williams, A., Costa, L. T., & Helsen, P. (2022).

The aeroecology of atmospheric convergence zones: the case of pallid swifts.

Oikos, e08594.

Costa, L. T., & Elias, G. L. (1998).

Biometrics and survival rates of pallid swifts Apus pallidus in Portugal.

Ringing & Migration, 19(1), 59-64.