Home range of greater and lesser rhea in Argentina : relevance to conservation

Authors: Laura M. Bellis¹; Mónica B. Martella²; Joaquín L. Navarro²; Pablo E. Vignolo²

Source: Biodiversity and Conservation, Volume 13, Number 14, December 2004 , pp. 2589-2598(10)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

In this work we report results of radiotracking studies on the movements and home range sizes of two near-threatened species, the greater rhea (Rhea americana) and the lesser rhea (Pterocnemia pennata pennata) in relation to different land use regimes. We radiomonitored greater and lesser rheas for 3 years in their respective habitats: the Pampas and the Patagonia regions. We chose two study areas in each habitat with similar agricultural activities and different hunting control. We did not find significant differences in movements and home range size between study areas of each species. This suggests that disturbance caused by human presence in the areas did not affect rhea spacing behaviors. Moreover, lesser rheas showed larger home range and movements than greater rheas, showing that the home range size is not an immutable property of body mass, and that abundance and distribution of food appears to be the main factor that influences the movements and home range size of these birds.

Keywords: Argentina; Conservation; Food density; Greater rhea; Home range; Lesser rhea; Radiotracking

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-004-1086-0

Affiliations: 1: Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, CC 122, Córdoba 5000, Argentina (( lbellis@efn.uncor.edu;, Fax: +54-351-4332054)), Email: lbellis@efn.uncor.edu 2: Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, CC 122, Córdoba 5000, Argentina

Publication date: 2004-12-01