Helping in Cyanopica

The study area

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We studied a population of Iberian magpie (Cyanopica cooki) in south-western Spain. The study area is 22 km north the city of Badajoz (39º 03’ N, 6º 48’ W), in the middle of the Iberian distribution of the species. The predominant habitat is a dehesa (open holm oak Quercus ilex woodland). The climate is typically Mediterranean, with dry-hot summers and mild-wet winters. Total rainfall is usually between 300 and 600 mm. Most rains fall in spring and to a lesser extent in autumn. Rains are practically absent from late May to late September, so that the long summer is characterized by dryness and high temperatures.

 

The Iberian magpies in this area breed between late March and early July.

 

Since 1992, Iberian magpies in this population have been captured and marked with metal and coloured plastic rings.