Méthode préliminaire pour le suivi télémétrique du Pigeon Ramier(Columba palumbus)en hivernage

Abstract

In order to study the movements of the Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)while wintering, two birds have been equipped with a Biotrack-type radio localizer. After three weeks of monitoring in January 2000, the birds letf their wintering areas. During this period they had remained in a territory that covered less than 14,000 hectares, and spent just over 60% of their time in non hunting grounds. These results have been compared with data on pigeon ringing carried out during wintering periods. All birds banded between December and January were trapped again in the same period near where they had been ringed (n=51). These preliminary results seem to indicate that the birds move very little and that they have staunch connections to their wintering emplacements.