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Ringing recoveries of theSpotless Starling Sturnusunicolor in SpainSalvador J. Peris aa Departamento de Biologia Animal Facultadde Biologia , Universidad de Salamanca ,Salamanca, 37071, SpainPublished online: 11 Apr 2011.

To cite this article: Salvador J. Peris (1991) Ringing recoveries of the SpotlessStarling Sturnus unicolor in Spain, Ringing & Migration, 12:3, 124-125, DOI:10.1080/03078698.1991.9674003

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03078698.1991.9674003

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Ringing & Migration (1991) 12,124-125

Short Note

Ringing recoveries of the Spotless Starling Sturnusunicolor in Spain

SALVADOR J. PERIS, Departamento de Biologia Animal Facultad de Biologia,Universidad de Salamanca 37071 Salamanca, Spain

The breeding range of the Spotless StarlingSturnus unicolor extends from Portugal

and North Africa to the islands of Sardinia andCorsica (Peris 1984). It is increasing, andoverlaps with that of the Starling 5. vutgaris inthe north and north-east of Spain (Peris etal.1987).There is a general lack of knowledgeabout the movements of Spotless Starlings.The few data available suggest a wintermigration of Andalucian (southern Spanish)birds to North Africa (Feare 1984) whilemovements of about 1 km during the breedingseason, and 50 km in autumn-winter, areindicated by Bernis (1989). Spain is one of thefew countries where the species has beenringed in the last 30 years. This note reportssome of the results in the hope that it willencourage further work.

Between 1960 and 1989 the SpanishOrnithological Society (SEO) and the NationalInstitute for the Conservation of Nature(ICONA) ringed 7,284 Spotless Starlings, ofwhich 64 (0.88%) were recovered (Asensio1988 and S. J. Peris unpupl.). This appears to

be a very low recovery rate for a species whichis hunted (Bernis 1960,1989; Parsons 1960).The few data available severely restrict thedepth of analysis that may be undertaken onmortality and movement A few recoveriesare excluded from the analysis because ofdocumentation errors. Nestlings and fledgedbirds <1 year old are aggregated ("young")and all birds > 1 year old are treated as a singleage-class ("adult").

Table 1 shows that 63% of all the recoveriesin both age-classes were less than 20 km fromthe place of ringing and 24% were 50 km ormore. The mean distance moved by adultswas 32.2 km (range 0-159, n = 19) and thatbyyoungbirdswas41.9km(range 0-701 km,n = 24), a difference which is statisticallysignificant [U = 255; P<0.05, Mann-Whitney {/-test). In both cases, thesedistances are likely to involve a mix ofdifferent kinds of movement (e.g. migration,breeding dispersal, natal dispersal). Thelargest movement reported was of a youngbird that moved 701 km S.W. from its ringing

Table 1. Numbers of Spotless Starlings recovered with respect to age-class and distance moved.

Distancekm

0-910-2020-4950-99

100-249250-499500-701

Young

14441

1

Adult

111242

—

Unknownage

12

28

—

Total

3758

132

1

%

33.227.46

13.4319.402.980

1.49

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Spotless Starlings in Spain 125

Table 2. Causes of death of Spotless Starlings with respect to age-class.

Causes of death

ShotTrappedFound deadElectrocutedChokedPredated byAccipiter nisusOther causes

TOTAL

Young

13531

—1

1

24

Age-class

Adults

733

1—

—

14

Unknown

12—

1

——

1

14

Total

3287111

2

52

%

61.5315.3813.46

1.921.921.92

3.84

100

place at Alava (Basque country) to Sevilla(Andalusia). Recoveries were reported in allmonths of the year (mean 3.9 per month,range 2-7) with 16 in the period March-Apriland 31 in the period September-Februarywhen hunting pressure is greatest.

Table 2 shows that 77% of the recoveries aredue to man's activities (e.g. shot or trapped inroosts). The mean recovery time for youngbirds was 197 days (range 9-603, n =24) andfor adults 339 days (range 57-1225, n = 19).The recovery time was significantly longer inthe case of adults [U = 393; P<0.05, Mann-Whitney U-tesl). From 24 recoveries of youngbirds, 14 (58.3%) were within a year ofringing, 8 (33.3%) between 1 and 2 years and 2(8.3%) between 2 and 3 years. However, theheavy bias amongst these recoveries to man-induced mortality prevents the widersignificance being appraised.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThanks to the Spanish Ornithological Society forallowing me access to the ringing recoveries and toDr. Asensio for sending the rough data from theICONA. I also thank to all those ringers who haveworked with the species.

REFERENCESAsensio, B. (1988) Informe sobre la campaña de anillamiento de aves

en España: año 1987. Ecobgia, 2, 369-410.Bernis, F. (1960) Migración, problema agricola y captura del Estornino

Pinto (Sturnus vulgaris). Ardeola, 6, 11-109.Bernis, F. (1989) Los estorninos en las mesetas españolas. Comn.

I.N.I.A. Ser. Rec. Nit., No 54.Feare, C. 11984) The Starling, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford.Parsons, J.J. (1960) Sobre la caza a gran escala del Estornino Pinto

(Sturnus vulgaris) en España. Ardeola, 6, 235-241.Peris, S.J. (1984) Nidificación y puesta en el Estornino Negro.

Salaman. Rev. Est., 11-12, 175-234.Peris, S.J.; Motis, A. & Martinez, A. (1987) La distribución del

Estornino Negro. (Sturnus unicolor Temm.) y del Estornino Pinto(S. vulgaris L.) en la Peninsula Ibérica: aumento del área denidificación en ambas especies. Act. VII B.R. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat.Pamplona. 151-156.

(MS received 25 July 1990; revised MS accepted 24 January 1991)

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