Journal of Helminthology

Table of Contents - 2002 - Volume 76, Issue 03  

Cambridge Journals Online - CUP Full-Text Page

Miscellaneous

Do helminths increase the vulnerability of released pheasants to fox predation?

J. Millána1 c1, C. Gortázara1, P. Tizzania2 and F.J. Buenestadoa1



a1 Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC, CSIC-UCLM), PO Box 535, E-13080 Ciudad Real, Spain

a2 Dipartimento di Produzioni Animali, Epidemiologia ed Ecologia, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy

Article author query

Millán J [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]
Gortázar C [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]
Tizzani P [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]
Buenestado FJ [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]

Abstract

The success of ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) restocking in Asturias, northern Spain was assessed, and the role of parasites and predators in the mortality of released birds was studied. The experimental release of 56 radio-tagged pheasants showed that 98% of birds died within 12 days. As soon as 72 h after release, 67.5% of males and 55.0% of females were found dead. Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) killed 63% of the birds. The survival of those birds killed by foxes was lower than for birds which died due to other causes, and pheasants depositing eggs of the nematode Eucoleus contortus (Creplin, 1839) survived less than those apparently non-parasitized. No impact of the parasite on the pheasants' condition was found, but foxes preyed upon parasitized birds more than expected by random. The results suggest that: (i) the current pheasant releases in this area are unsuccessful and need to be improved; (ii) this is mainly due to intense predation by red foxes; and (iii) parasites could have some influence on the predation of released birds by foxes. However, the way parasites affect pheasant vulnerability remains unclear.

(Accepted May 09 2002)

Correspondence:

c1 Fax: +34 926 295451 E-mail: jmillan@irec.uclm.es