Rapid expansion of Spanish sparrow Passer hispanoliensis north of the Ebro River

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-4826251/v1

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Rapid expansion of Spanish sparrow Passer hispanoliensis north of the Ebro River

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4826251/v1

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We compile the information available for Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) in the provinces of Navarra and Huesca (northern Spain) until 2022 and add the results of specific censuses carried out in the spring of 2023.

It is confirmed that the presence of this species in the area was practically anecdotal, with only 5 records in the last 20 years, and that in 2023 there was a sudden expansion towards the north, with more than 120 records recorded in the area, nesting proven in 17 points and detection of a communal roost far from all of them and probably linked to another colony of unknown location.

82.35% of the colonies were located a few meters from a raptor (Milvus milvus, M. migrans, Aquila chrysaetos and Accipiter gentilis)(11 colonies) or White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)(3 colonies) nest and in all cases there was also House Sparrows (Passer domesticus).

The average size of each colony was 3.24 pairs (min-max 1–14) and the nests were at an average height of 11.18 m (min-max 6–18 m) and always in a trees (Pinus halepensis, Populus sp. and Sequoia sempervirens).

The role of this species as indicator of climate change is discussed.

Censuses

climate change

stork

raptors

reproduction

The Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) (thereafter SS) is a medium-sized passerine that is distributed discontinuously and irregularly from Portugal to West Asia minor (Summers-Smith 2020). Within this area two subspecies are differentiated, P. h. hispanoliensis, occupying the south of the Iberian Peninsula, northwest Africa, Sardinia, the Balkans, Greece and some Atlantic islands, and P. h. transcaspicus, present in Cyprus, east of Turkey and Levant east to Iran, Afghanistan, S Kazakhstan and NW China (Summers-Smith 2020). Its distribution in the Iberian Peninsula has increased in recent decades, experiencing a progressive expansion from the southwestern quadrant, which it traditionally occupied, towards the north and east (Roviralta 2022). Despite being considered a sedentary species in the western part of its range (Roviralta 2022), it makes dispersive movements in autumn and winter, which facilitate the colonization of new areas such as reproduction points (Asensio and Cantos 1989). Although it can be found in very diverse habitats, it is more abundant in extensive agrosystems with riparian forests interspersed where it nests (Roviralta 2016). In general, it reproduces by forming colonies often associated with storks or raptor nests (Alonso 1982, 1984). These colonies can have a very variable size, reaching, in exceptional cases, several thousand nests (Prieta 2002; Roviralta 2016; Summers-Smith 2020), which makes their detection easier. This peculiarity makes it a good species to be monitored with the help of different citizen science platforms for recording bird observations. In the present work we use the observations recorded in the two main platforms (Ebird and Observation.org), the regional bird atlases and the ornithological yearbooks, to analyze the presence of this species in the last 20 years north of the Ebro river, considered traditionally as the northern limit of its range (Martí and Del Moral 2003; Roviralta 2022). We complete this information with that obtained in censuses specially designed for its detection as a breeder associated with birds of prey and storks. The analysis of both sources of information aims to address two main objectives; i) describe recent changes in the species' distribution area and ii) propose it´s monitoring as an indicator of climate change.

Study area, specific census and statistical analysis

This study was carried out in Navarre and Huesca provinces, in northern Spain (Fig. 1). Three different biogeographical areas converge in this region: the Alpine, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean (Lorda et al. 2011), which is reflected in an important gradient in climate and habitats.

After the fortuitous detection during the monitoring of the breeding pairs of the Red Kite (Milvus milvus) of the first confirmed reproduction of the Spanish Sparrow in the area, it was decided to carry out a survey aimed at searching for this species in all the Red Kite nests included in the monitoring plan for this raptor in the region. This survey consisted of a minimum of two visits to each nest between the months of March and July in which 15 minutes were spent searching for nests with a morphology compatible with SS in the vicinity of the raptor nests and another 45 minutes to verify that it was really the SS that was occupying the nests.

Once the presence was confirmed, the minimum number of pairs, the height of the nests, the species of tree where the colony was located and whether or not there was the presence of House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)(thereafter HS) were recorded. To this targeted census, casual information obtained with the same methodology in the surroundings of several nests of other birds of prey and storks was added.

To analyze the differences in the proportion of nests of White Storks or of each raptor species with the presence of SS we performed a Chi² test applying Yate's correction due to the small sample size (Hammer et al. 2001).

Compilation of bibliography and citations

The information registered in all official bird atlas (Elósegui 1985; Woutersen and Platteeuw 1998; Sampietro 2000; Marí and Del Moral 2003; Roviralta 2022) and all the citations for the species in the more recent ornithological yearbooks (Arratibel et al. 2007; Rivas et al. 2021) as well as in the two main online platforms (eBird and Observation), have been compiled. The observations recorded in 2023 in these platforms were verified in the field, following the same methodology used in the specific census.

During the specific census, 39 Red Kite nests belonging to the monitoring plan for this species in Navarra and Huesca were revised. Information was also obtained from another 20 nests of Black Kite (Milvus migrans), 7 of Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo), 6 of Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), 4 of Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and 30 of White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)(Table 1). In this monitoring, the reproduction of SS was confirmed in 14 different points (Fig. 1). No differences were found in the proportion of raptor or stork nests with the presence of Spanish Sparrow depending on the species (Chi²= 1,68, df=5, p>0,05)(Table 1). Other 3 colonies were found not associated with a raptor or stork nest.

The average size of each colony was 3.24 pairs (min-max 1-14) and the nests were at an average height of 11.18 m (min-max 6-18 m) and always in a tree (Pinus halepensis, n=5, Populus sp , n=11 and Sequoia sempervirens, n=1) and associated with HS.

The review of the information available prior to 2023 confirmed practically total absence of the species in the study area until now, with only 5 records collected and always of males mixed in HS flocks. In 2023, on the contrary, more than 120 observations of the species have been recorded in this area.

This result translates into an increase in the distribution area in the region of 10 new universal transverse mercator (utm) 10x10 km squares.

The results obtained in this study confirmed the progressive expansion of the species to north described in the monitoring carried out at the state level (Roviralta 2022) and predicted by the different predictive models linked to global warming (Araujo 2011). The nomadic character of this species in the post-nuptial period (Asensio and Cantos 1989) together with its ability to adapt to various habitats (Roviralta 2016 and references contained therein) and its high reproductive rate (Alonso 1984; Marques et al. 2006) make the SS a good colonizer capable of experiencing large jumps in its distribution area. This situation has already been previously described in other regions of Spain such as Levant (Ferrero-García et al. 2018), where there could have been a mass arrival of hundreds of specimens to a region in which there was no evidence of their existence, becoming classified as a pest species. In our case, it so happens that the year 2023 has been unusually dry in the southern half of the peninsula (MITECO 2024), which may have pushed SS populations to move hundreds of kilometers north, reaching beyond the Ebro River, the traditional limit of distribution of the species (Martí and Del Moral 2003; Roviralta 2022).

Regarding the characteristics of the colonies detected in our work, the 3.24 nests per colony are a value similar to that described for the species in the northern subplateau of Spain (Román et al. 1997), but notably lower than those existing in the traditional distribution area of the species in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula (Alonso 1982, 1984; Marques et al. 2002; Prieta 2002) where the average exceeds 200 nests per colony and maximum values greater than 30,000 nests can be reached (Prieta 2002). Our results agree with those previous studies in the choice of trees for nesting (Alonso 1984; Román et al. 1997; Marques et al. 2002; Prieta 2002) and in the species of birds of prey or storks with which they were associated (Román et al. 1997; Roviralta 2022). Regarding the percentage of colonies isolated or associated with large birds, we have not found values in previous works, although it seems that this behavior is more common in the northernmost areas of the distribution area (Roman et al. 1997) than in the south (Alonso 1984). Nor have we found in the existing bibliography information about the selection by the SS of the nests of one or another species of raptor or stork for nesting. In our case, it has been possible to verify the reproduction associated with White Storks and four species of raptors, although without apparent selection. However, it must be taken into account that the sampling effort has not been homogeneous among the different species, so solid conclusions cannot be drawn.

In respect of the association with HS, the constant presence of this species in the SP colonies from our study area is very different from what is described in the rest of the SP distribution area where the HS occupies only the most humanized habitats (Alonso 1982, 1984; Päckert et al. 2019; Murgi 2022), while the SS focuses on more natural environments (Alonso 1984; Román et al. 1997; Marques et al. 2002; Prieta 2002; Päckert et al. 2019; Roviralta 2022). This greater spatial coincidence found in our region could facilitate hybridization between both species, as has been suggested for some populations in North Africa (Guezhul et al. 2011; Päckert et al. 2019). More intensive monitoring that includes capture for ringing and genetic analysis of the specimens would allow us to confirm or deny this hypothesis.

Finally, our results have shown how the observation.org and eBird platforms have been able to detect the rapid expansion of the species towards the north, going from only 5 records until 2022 to more than 120 in 2023. The easy detection and identification of colonies (Alonso 1982) and the large flocks that form during the winter (Alonso 1982; Asensio and Cantos 1989; Ferrero-García et al. 2018) make this species a good candidate to be monitored through citizen science (Cooper et al. 2014). If we combine this peculiarity with the fact that it is a typical species of hot habitats in northern Africa with a well-defined northern distribution limit, this makes the species a good indicator of climate change in southern Europe (Araujo et al. 2011; Devictor et al. 2012).

COMPENTING INTERESTS

The authors declare no competing interests.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank all the volunteer ornithologists who uploaded their observations to the eBird and Observation.org platforms. The location of the Red Kite nests was carried out within the monitoring program of the species funded by the Government of Navarra and Aragon. The rest of the work was carried out without any financial help. Mark den Toom and Esther Biescas revised the english language.

Ethical Approval

not applicable

Funding

The location of the Red Kite nests was carried out within the monitoring program of the species funded by the Government of Navarra and Aragon. The rest of the work was carried out without any financial help.

Availability of data and materials

The data used in the article are available as supplementary material.

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Table 1. Distribution of sampling effort and percentage of presence of Spanish Sparrow in the nests of storks or different species of raptors.

	Nº nest revised	Nº nest with SS	%
Red kite	39	6	15,38
Black kite	20	3	15,00
Goshawk	6	1	16,67
Golden eagle	4	1	25,00
Common buzzard	7	0	0,00
White stork	30	3	10,00
TOTAL	106	14	13,21

No competing interests reported.

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You are reading this latest preprint version

Rapid expansion of Spanish sparrow Passer hispanoliensis north of the Ebro River

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Abstract

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Introduction

Materials and Methods

Results

Discussion

Declarations

References

Table 1

Additional Declarations

Supplementary Files

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