Supplementing vulture populations with carcasses disposed at feeding stations is a common management and conservation practice worldwide. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the dependence of ...large vultures on the supplementary feeding stations (SFS) in areas with high abundance of natural food. We tagged 11 Griffon Vultures (
Gyps fulvus
, Hablizl 1783) with GSM/GPS transmitters in the Eastern Rhodopes, Bulgaria and studied the seasonal dynamic of feedings at SFS and at occasional carcasses found in the field. We used combination of remote sensing and field inspections to identify the vulture feeding events. Our results show that most of the feeding events occurred at occasional carcasses found in the wild (77.4%), whereas only 22.6% were at SFS, but high seasonal variation was observed. Vulture’s reliance on feeding stations was lowest in summer (19.82 ± 7.8%) and highest in winter when 56.5 ± 16.1% of the feedings were at the SFS. Griffon Vultures travelled longer daily distances in days feeding in the wild compared to days when they were not feeding or were visiting SFS. Our study indicates that in habitats with high abundance of natural food (free-range livestock and game), vultures tend to actively forage and use feeding stations as supplemental sources of food, mostly during long periods of adverse weather or in winter when foraging conditions are worse and natural food is less abundant.
The Eastern Imperial Eagle (EIE) is a top predator exploiting different prey in different parts of its distribution. In this study, we summarise data collected over a long period of time (for 25 ...consecutive years), identifying key prey species in the different regions, as well as clarifying seasonal preferences in the eagle's diet. Most studies on the EIE food composition covering different parts of the species distribution range analyse the breeding season, while data about the winter diet are scarce. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study detailing the differences in EIE's dietary preferences between the breeding and the winter periods. We identified 4891 specimens belonging to 196 different taxa, which represents the most comprehensive study considering the diet diversity of this threatened species. Mammals represented the largest proportion of the diet, followed by birds and reptiles. Northern White-breasted Hedgehog was the most common prey, accounting for 25.7% of the total prey caught and 26.75% of the biomass. The European Souslik was the second most important prey with 14.35% participation in the eagle's diet, but with a 3.75% contribution to the biomass. As we predicted, prey composition and main prey species varied spatially and seasonally. Modelling differences in the EIE diet, we found that the "territory effect" had the strongest impact on the dietary variations. Diet diversity differed significantly between regions (F = 12.6, df = 4, p = 0.01). During the breeding season, eagles fed mainly on Hedgehogs (29.88%), Sousliks (16.85%) and Storks (7.74%), while the winter diet was predominantly small rodents (44.17%) and songbirds (13.96%). We found that top predators, such as EIE, have successfully adapted to a novel food source, which is abundant in the area. The detected flexibility in the diet of the species and its ability to switch to alternative prey, if available, when the primary prey decreased, should be considered when planning species conservation efforts. Investigating the temporal change of the main prey in the eagle's diet is also crucial for further species conservation measures.
The Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus is an obligate scavenger relying on spatially and temporally unpredictable food resources. We demonstrate how high-frequency telemetry data can be efficiently ...used to identify vultures' feeding locations in the wild and study their diet.
To study the Griffon Vulture diet composition, seasonal variations, and bathing frequency in an area with high natural food availability.
We used a remote-sensing technique based on GPS and accelerometry data to identify the feeding locations, and ground-truthing to identify the carcass species and investigate the causes of mortality.
We identified 13 taxa in the diet of Griffon Vultures. Cattle comprised 48.5% of the diet, followed by sheep (24.3%), while wild animals were 13.1%. We observed seasonal variation in the proportion of small stock and game species in the diet. Predation was reported as the main cause of mortality (60.2%) for prey species, while natural causes accounted for 37.6%. Vultures were mainly feeding in areas south of their breeding colonies in Bulgaria and Greece. Natural springs and fountains were regularly used by the Griffon Vultures for bathing and drinking, especially in the summer.
Free-ranging livestock creates favourable feeding conditions for vultures, especially in areas with rugged terrain and a high density of predators. An increase in the number of wild ungulates can potentially buffer the fluctuations in livestock numbers and be beneficial for vultures, especially in the autumn and winter months. Lead ammunition must be substituted with non-toxic alternatives to reduce the exposure of vultures and other scavengers to lead poisoning.
The European Griffon Vulture
is a large-sized scavenger exploiting carcasses of livestock and wild ungulates and thus having a paramount importance in the natural ecosystems. In this study, we report ...on an adult Griffon Vulture detected with lead levels in the bones over the threshold. After two years of tracking, the bird died. The corpse’s clinical examination and radiography detected the presence of two embedded lead pellets from a healed gunshot wound in its right wing. Quantitative laboratory analysis of lead in bone and liver samples evidencing subclinical/chronic lead intoxication of the Griffon Vulture could potentially be a result of the long-term exposure to the lead originating from the pellets in its wing.
Abstract
This study presents the results of conservation measures undertaken and their impact on the eastern imperial eagle population in Bulgaria. The species is distributed in the south-eastern ...part of the country, as there is only one known pair in central Bulgaria. During the period 2009-201 3, 28 different breeding territories were occupied. The population increased by 20%, as the number of pairs that occupied breeding territories increased from 20 in 2009 to 24 in 201 3. In general, the mean values of the breeding parameters of the eastern imperial eagle population for the period 2009-201 3 were as follows: productivity (P) 1 .03±0.1 8; breeding success (BS) 1 .1 8±0.21 ; and fledgling success (FS) 1 .68±0.1 6. The annual survival rate of breeders varied from 0.795 to 0.932. The most important factor causing the mortality of immature eagles was electrocution. Shooting and poisoning have become important mortality factors, too. Guarded pairs had a higher mean breeding success (1 .32±0.88) than non-guarded pairs (1 .06±0.91 ). As a whole, 39% of all artificial nests installed in the period 2009-201 3 were occupied by birds of different species. During the period 2008-201 3, a total of 23 juvenile eastern imperial eagles were tagged with satellite/GPS transmitters. In addition, 608 hazardous electric poles in the territories of seven pairs were insulated. Supplementary feed was provided for 1 4 pairs once a week during the autumn-winter seasons (October - March). A total of 483 supplementary feedings took place, 450 ofwhich also included monitoring in order to record the effectiveness of this activity.
Abstract
During the period 2008-201 3, 32 different breeding territories were occupied by eastern imperial eagles (EIEs). These territories were mainly distributed in two regions: the Dervent ...Heights/Yıldız Mts. and the area to the north of the Marmara sea coast. The nearest neighbour distance established was 4.2 km. The mean distance between pairs was 1 0.44±2.95 km. The mean value of breeding success for the period 2008-201 3, including 1 07 cases of incubation, was 1 .01±0.1 0. The mean breeding success of birds in the Marmara region (1 .05±0.78) was higher than that in the Dervent Heights/Yıldız Mts. (0.91±0.84). The present study on the diet of the EIE was based on the remains of 582 prey items of at least 70 taxa. Mammals were the most common group (46.5%), followed by birds (32.4%) and reptiles (20.3%). The white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus) was the most common prey, followed by two tortoises - Hermann's tortoise (Eurotestudo hermanni) and the Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca) - which together accounted for a total of 1 4.4% of the prey caught. The prey species particularly represented in the food spectrum of the studied pairs were: the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), the European souslik (Spermophilus citellus), the chicken (Gallus gallus f. domestica) and the white stork (Ciconia ciconia). These species together accounted for 67.8% of the prey caught. There was a statistically significant difference (Z=2.52, p=0.01 ) in the food preferences of the EIEs in the two studied regions.
We study correlation functions on the Coulomb branch of planar $\mathcal{N} =
4$ super-Yang- Mills theory (SYM), and their relationship with integrability,
the operator product expansion (OPE), the ...sum rule, the large charge expansion,
and holography. First, we compute one-point functions of arbitrary scalar
operators at weak coupling and derive a compact spin-chain representation. We
next study the two-point functions of chiral primaries at one loop and find
that the radius of convergence of OPE in position space is infinite. We
estimate the asymptotic growth of the OPE data based on this finding. Finally,
we propose a concrete nonperturbative formula that connects the correlation
functions on the Coulomb branch with the correlation functions with large
charge insertions at the conformal point and provide a holographic
interpretation based on a large D3-brane in AdS. The formula extends the known
connection between the large charge sector and the Coulomb branch for rank-1
theories to the large $N$ limit.
Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a lymphoproliferative disease which is described almost exclusively in adults. There are only a few pediatric patients who have been observed with this ...disorder. Here, we describe a rare case of IgG4-RD in a 17-year-old girl with a single manifestation—tracheal stenosis without previous intubation or other inciting event. She had mixed dyspnea and noisy and weakened breathing. Immunoproliferative hyper-IgG4 disease was diagnosed, based on elevated serum IgG4 and histological findings. Until now we have chosen to treat the girl only with corticosteroids with a good response so far. The general condition as well as the respiratory function are regularly monitored. The tracheal involvement of IgG4-RD is uncommon. Nonetheless, it is a manifestation that should be included in the differential diagnosis of tracheal stenosis.
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