Censo y distribución de los efectivos de Paloma Torcaz Columba palumbus invernantes en la Península Ibérica

Abstract

Throughout the 1997-1998, 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 seasons, Wood Pigeon population censuses were carried out in the traditional Iberian wintering area, which comprises the southwestern quadrant of the Peninsula. The method applied was the direct counting off locks in communal roosts. Quantitative data suggests that wintering population in the study area would be made up of about 2,5-3 million birds. The distribution of these contingents was not homogeneous within the study area, with a massive presence in Portugal and Extremadura-Toledo alternatively. The seemingly direct response shown by wintering Wood Pigeons toward the nutritional capacity of the "dehesa" suggests that the analysis of this factor could enable predictions on the spatial and seasonal distribution of the population.