Close
Close
Close

Abundance, phenology and geographical distribution in relation to habitat of Tringa species in N Italy: a summary of data from the Italian online portal www.ornitho.it

Info

Pages
60 – 70

Published
1 June 15

Authors
Fabio Saporetti

DOI
10.18194/ws.00004

Correspondence
Fabio Saporetti
saporettif@gmail.com
Gruppo Insubrico di Ornitologia Onlus, c/o Civico Museo Insubrico di Storia Naturale di Clivio e Induno Olona,
Via Manzoni 21, 21050 Clivio (Varese), Italy

Files

Public Files

The launch of the online portal www.ornitho.it in 2009 has played a key role in advancing knowledge about the distribution, phenology and abundance of birds in the whole of Italy: for many species, such as the migratory Tringa genus, this is a great opportunity to achieve new insights into the phenology of their migration. I have analysed: (1) portal data on Tringa species gathered between 2010 and 2013 in the Lombardy region of N Italy, focusing on the peak dates and number of birds occurring during spring and autumn migration at inland wetlands to explore their regional geographical distribution; and (2) regional cartographic data on habitat distribution. The results showed that the rice-farming areas of SW Lombardy represent an invaluable agricultural habitat that supports the bulk of migrant waders, but other manmade habitats, such as abandoned and naturalized sand- and gravel-pits in the Po Plain, are of similar importance. Wood Sandpiper T. glareola is the most abundant species, followed by Spotted Redshank T. erythropus and Greenshank T. nebularia. Green Sandpiper T. ochropus and Common Redshank T. totanus occur commonly but in low numbers, while Marsh Sandpiper T. stagnatilis is a rare species. To improve the quality of data gathering it would be very useful to start a coordinated regional group working on migrating waders.