The effects of rainfall on wild populations of Common Quail(Coturnix coturnix) | Der Einfluß von Niederschlag auf eine Population der Wachtel (Coturnix coturnix)
1999
Puigcerver, Manuel | Rodriguez-Teijeiro, Jose Domingo | Gallego, Secundino
Investigations were carried out into the influence of rainfall on the breeding of the Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) from 1984–94 in Tarragona Province (NE Spain) and on the number of quails shot during the hunting season in the Teruel Province (NE Spain) in 14 consecutive years. The results clearly show the influence of rainfall on the duration of stay of singing male quail (r=0.79, p=0.01, n=9): in dry years it is short and in rainy years it is longer. A direct relationship between the mean time of quail presence and the mean date of cereal maturation was also found (r=0.81, p=0.008, n=9), strongly suggesting that rainfall directly affects the date of harvest and indirectly affects the breeding cycle of quail. Finally, the number of quail bagged by hunters depends on the annual rainfall (r²=0.54−0.74). We conclude that rainfall is a key factor in the biological cycle of the Common Quail. Rainfall has an indirect effect on its productivity and mortality, and influences its nomadic and migratory movements.
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