Weed seeds, not grain, contribute to the diet of wintering skylarks in arable farmlands of Western France.

• Published in: European Journal of Wildlife Research
• Main Authors: Eraud, Cyril, Cadet, Emilie, Powolny, Thibaut, Gaba, Sabrina, Bretagnolle, François, Bretagnolle, Vincent
• Other Authors: Avifaune migratrice, ONCFS, Agroécologie Dijon, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de Bourgogne (UB)-AgroSup Dijon - Institut National Supérieur des Sciences Agronomiques, de l'Alimentation et de l'Environnement, Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Biogéosciences UMR 6282 (BGS), Université de Bourgogne (UB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud )-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), ANR-08-STRA-0002, AgrobioSE ANR-13-AGRO-0001-03, ANR-08-STRA-0002,ADVHERB,Gestion agro-écologique de la flore adventice dans des systèmes à bas niveaux d'herbicides(2008), ANR-13-AGRO-0001,AGROBIOSE,Biodiversité et services écosystémiques en agro-écosystèmes céréaliers intensifs : utilisation des concepts de l'agro-écologie pour atteindre les objectifs ECOPHYTO 2018(2013)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2015
• Subjects: Skylark; Agroecology; Winter ecology; Weed seeds; Diet; Alauda arvensis; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01119050; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-014-0888-y

11 pages International audience Assessing the diet of farmland birds during the wintering period has important implications for conservation. However, for some species such as the skylark, the diet composition remains poorly known across its wintering range. On the basis of gizzards collected in mid-winter over a 10-year interval and in two regions of Western France, we quantified the contribution of seeds and investigated whether the diet differed between sexes, regions and period and whether seeds entered the diet with respect to their size, nutritive value or their spring occurrence within the farmland landscape. Also, the amount of seeds that birds need to consume for meeting their daily energy requirements was assessed by simulation and compared with estimates measured in captive individuals. Thirty-eight seed species belonging to 16 families were identified in gizzards. All species but one were weeds, and cereal grains were absent from all gizzards. The diet differed slightly between sexes but contrasted between regions and periods. We found no clear evidence for a selective intake based on seed traits. Conversely, our results suggest that weed seeds would enter the diet with respect to their relative occurrence. Our simulation indicated that birds should ingest about 8 g (4200-5600 seeds) to meet their daily requirements. A mean value of 6.7 g per day was measured in captive skylarks. These results suggest that the maintenance of rich weed habitats is a crucial issue for populations of skylarks that overwinter in agricultural landscapes of Western France.