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Turkish Journal of Zoology

Author ORCID Identifier

HSAN BEN JEMAA: 0000-0003-1649-0932

SAID NOUIRA: 0000-0002-0412-6626

FRANÇOIS FOUREL: 0000-0003-3094-7003

ILHAM BENTALEB: 0000-0002-6023-7929

DOI

10.55730/1300-0179.3187

Abstract

This research employed stable isotope analysis to investigate the migratory patterns and geographic origins of the Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae) and its associated prey species within the Galite Archipelago, Tunisia. Feathers collected from both juvenile and adult falcons, along with their prey, were analysed for deuterium isotopic composition using the "Isorix" package in R, which facilitated the geographic assignment based on stable isotope ratios. The results demonstrated no significant difference in deuterium values (δ2H) between adult and juvenile falcons, indicating a lack of geographical variation in moulting locations among the different age groups. However, the isotopic data for adult falcons yielded unexpected results, suggesting origins close to the sampling site, which contradicted the anticipated migratory patterns to distant wintering grounds. Furthermore, the study successfully mapped the origins of various prey species, indicating a broad geographic intake ranging from the Mediterranean to southern Scandinavia. These findings highlight the complexity of migratory behaviours in predatory birds and underscore the efficacy of stable isotope analysis as a tool for ecological research in avian migration studies.

Keywords

Avian migration - Deuterium - Isorix -Migratory patterns - Stable isotope

First Page

327

Last Page

335

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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