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@article{alonso_precipitation_2025,

title = {Precipitation and female experience are major determinants of the breeding performance of Canarian houbara bustards},

author = {Juan C. Alonso and Inmaculada Abril-Col\'{o}n and Alberto Ucero and Carlos Palac\'{i}n},

url = {https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wlb3.01345},

doi = {10.1002/wlb3.01345},

issn = {1903-220X, 1903-220X},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-07-01},

urldate = {2025-09-16},

journal = {Wildlife Biology},

volume = {2025},

number = {4},

pages = {e01345},

abstract = {Precipitation is one of the main triggers of reproduction in desert-breeding birds. The unpredictability of rainfall patterns in arid environments has led species to adapt their breeding effort to episodes of abundant food after rainfall. The response is not the same for all individuals in a population, and may vary especially with the age and experience of each female. Here we investigate the effects of precipitation, temperature, body size and breeding experience, among other variables, on reproductive parameters of 20 females of Canarian houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata fuertaventurae), an endangered desert bird endemic of the eastern Canary Islands. Precipitation and breeding experience were the main determinants of female breeding performance. Higher rainfall determined an increase in nesting rate, and earlier autumn rains caused an advancement of nesting to October, allowing the breeding season to be extended to eight months. This favoured an extraordinary increase in productivity in more rainy breeding seasons, with 15 times more females nesting in the two most rainy winters than in dry years. In addition, females with more breeding experience showed a higher tendency to breed, higher nest attempt and fledging success, and longer breeding season, which allowed them to rear more chicks. A female even double brooded successfully in the same season, which, considering that chicks remain with the mother for up to six months, indicates a great capacity to optimise reproductive investment, by adapting to highly variable rainfall regimes. In recent decades, the eastern Canary Islands have undergone a process of aridification, and climate models predict a medium-term increase in the frequency and duration of drought periods. Thus, Canarian houbaras are particularly vulnerable to climate change, so measures are urgently needed to reduce their mortality and improve the quality of their habitat, in order to favour their reproduction and prevent their extinction.},

keywords = {Bird Solar, Bird Solar Cellular 27g, Chlamydotis undulata fuerteventurae, Houbara Bustard},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}