Search results for " falcon"
showing 10 items of 32 documents
Positive demographic effects of nest surveillance campaigns to counter illegal harvest of the Bonelli's eagle in Sicily (Italy)
2017
Illegal trade in wildlife has been identified as one of the main challenges to wildlife conservation. In 2010, an illegal trade-ring trafficking in birds of prey was uncovered in Sicily (southern Italy). This illegal trade targeted the three most endangered species in Italy: Bonelli's eagle Aquila fasciata, Lanner falcon Falco biarmicus and Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus, all of them long-lived territorial raptors threatened with extinction across their European distribution. Illegal harvest primarily involved young birds and eggs taken from nests. After the discovery of these activities, surveillance camps and camera traps connected to the mobile Global System for Mobile communicat…
Onset of natal dispersal in Peregrine Falcon from Mediterranean islands (Italy)
2018
Abstract Basic information on natal dispersal of Peregrine Falcons is virtually lacking in Europe, despite increased attention on this species, and the sensitivity of this stage in the Peregrines’ life history. In this study, we collected satellite telemetry data during the onset of natal dispersal of 19 Peregrine Falcons tagged in Sicily and the Aeolian archipelago (Italy). We divided the onset of dispersal into the following 3 periods: post-fledging dependence period (PFDP), wandering, and wintering. PFDP lasted on average 47±16 days, during which young peregrines moved very little (0.167 km), and explored small areas (0.226 km2) far from the nest cliff, and showed no sex differences. The…
Genetic variability in Peregrine falcon populations of the Western Palaearctic region
2018
We analyzed variation in ten polymorphic microsatellites and a portion of cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA in 4 populations of the Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). living in northern and southern Italy. Spain and Czech Republic to assess species diversity in the poorly investigated Western Palearctic region. The Spanish population lives in the contact zone between F. peregrinus peregrinus and F. p. brookei. both the northern Italian and the Czech populations live within the range of F. p. peregrinus and the southern Italian is within the F. p. brookei. We added to our cytochrome b sequence dataset comprising 81 samples. previously published mitochondrial DNA sequences (n = 31) of English …
Population size and breeding performance of the Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus in Sicily: conservation implications
2017
Capsule: We report a significant reduction in population size and breeding success for the Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus in Sicily, its biggest stronghold in Europe, since the latest coordinated survey. Aims: To provide updated information on current population size of Lanner Falcon in Sicily and to compare breeding parameters with those obtained in previous studies. Methods: We performed an intensive coordinated field survey and literature review of breeding success parameters across the species range. Results: Overall, we monitored 126 territories throughout Sicily where the species had been reported in the last 15 years. Lanner Falcons were present only in 60 of them. Mean nest productiv…
Understanding the coexistence of competing raptors by Markov chain analysis enhances conservation of vulnerable species.
2016
Understanding ecological interactions among protected species is crucial for correct management to avoid conflicting outcomes of conservation planning. The occurrence of a superior competitor may drive the exclusion of a subordinate contestant, as in Sicily where the largest European population of the lanner falcon is declining because of potentially competing with the peregrine falcon. We measured the coexistence of these two ecologically equivalent species through null models and randomization algorithms on body sizes and ecological niche traits. Lanners and peregrines are morphologically very similar (Hutchinson ratios <1.3) and show 99% diet overlap, and both of these results predict …
"L'albero Falcone" e i suoi epigoni. La propagazione vegetale della memoria antimafia
2021
Le stragi di Capaci e via D’Amelio segnano un punto di svolta nel linguaggio con cui i movimenti antimafia costruiscono la memoria pubblica della violenza mafiosa. Uno dei tratti salienti di questa svolta è la proliferazione di luoghi di memoria che ruotano intorno a figure arboree. Il capostipite di questa genealogia è l’albero Falcone, noto come punto di raccolta per le manifestazioni del 23 maggio, la giornata della legalità. Nel corso degli anni ’90, il modello memoriale costruito intorno all’albero si sviluppa e si diffonde, mentre sono sempre già frequenti le piantumazioni di alberi in memoria delle vittime della mafia. L’articolo cerca di esplicitare le forme semiotiche soggiacenti a…
Organochlorine Pesticides and Polychlorinated Biphenyl Congeners in LannerFalco biarmicus feldeggiiSchlegel Chicks and Lanner Prey in Sicily, Italy
2008
This paper reports on research conducted to elucidate the risk posed to the Sicilian population of the endangered lanner falcon Falco biarmicus feldeggii Schlegel by organochlorine (OC) pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as part of a wider study on contaminant risk to the lanner. Seventeen lanner nest sites were studied in northern and central Sicily. Sampling (in 2005) and analysis were carried out for selected OC pesticides and PCB congeners in lanner chick blood (15 chicks from 6 nest sites) and in two of the main lanner prey species, magpie Pica pica (36 individuals from 6 lanner nest sites) and rock dove Columba livia (10 individuals from 2 lanner nest sites). No OC and P…
Landscape-scale Spatial Distribution of the Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus feldeggii) Breeding Population in Italy
2008
Falco biarmicus feldeggii is one of the most threatened taxa in Europe. Its global population is estimated at a few hundred pairs unequally scattered in a vast and fragmented area stretching from Sicily to the Caspian Sea. Most recent counts showed that Italy hosts a large part (>25%) of the whole population. Consequently, Italian authorities promoted a national action plan. In this framework, we carried out the first national survey for the Lanner Falcon in Italy (2003-2004). Our study area covered the whole breeding range, i.e., Sicily and the Italian peninsula (n = 2909 cells 10 × 10 km). When possible, we considered also additional information from previous regional investigations (1993…
L’albero Falcone: legalità e bellezza (Palermo, 1992-2020)
2021
Il saggio è incentrato sull’Albero Falcone davanti la casa del magistrato divenuto simbolo della resistenza alla mafia, emblema del riscatto della società civile e di legalità dopo l’attentato (1992). A partire da una fortissima ondata emozionale l’albero ha profondamente contraddistinto il luogo segnandone l’identità. Ne rappresenta il senso più profondo – la legalità – perché le persone lo hanno reso tale e in modo assolutamente spontaneo, condividendo le loro sensazioni. Hanno creato sull’onda di una fortissima e violenta spinta emozionale un luogo di incontro, non solo fisico, ma anche ideale, che continua emotivamente a coinvolgere non solo sul piano personale, ma anche a livello colle…
Introduzione critica a Gaetano Mosca che cosa è la mafia
2013
L'introduzione critica al classico testo di Gaetano Mosca "Che cosa è la mafia" viene messa a confronto con la discussa interpretazione del odierno fenomeno mafioso data dal giudice Giovanni Falcone con la tesi della non esistenza del terzo livello rintracciabile invece nella ottocentesca analisi di Mosca.