The spatial ecology and conservation of an important game bird in Ireland: the Eurasian woodcock

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dc.check.date2026-05-31
dc.contributor.advisorQuinn, John
dc.contributor.advisorHolloway, Paul
dc.contributor.advisorexternalHoodless, Andrew
dc.contributor.authorO'Neill, James B.en
dc.contributor.funderIrish Research Councilen
dc.contributor.funderNational Association of Regional Game Councilsen
dc.contributor.funderGame and Wildlife Conservation Trusten
dc.contributor.funderNational Parks and Wildlife Serviceen
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-05T12:50:11Z
dc.date.available2025-02-05T12:50:11Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.date.submitted2024
dc.description.abstractA wide range of species are targeted by human hunters, including those with uncertain or poor conservation status. However, the direct and indirect effects of this exploitation can be complex and are often poorly understood. The Eurasian woodcock (hereon woodcock) is a largely migratory ground-nesting bird in the family Scolopacidae associated with forested habitat, and is commonly hunted by humans across its European range. The direct and indirect effects of hunting on this species are generally poorly known, and it can be difficult to study owing to its elusive and crepuscular habits. On the island of Ireland, the woodcock population comprises both resident breeding birds and migratory overwintering birds which originate from areas such as Fennoscandia, the Baltic States and Russia. The breeding population is thought to have declined in recent decades, with available evidence suggesting a range contraction of over 70% between 1968 and 2011, whilst trends for migratory birds are unknown. However, the species is popular among hunters in Ireland, and no information exists as to how hunting activity affects its population or ecology. To address these knowledge gaps, this research had four main objectives: i. Establish an understanding of the current distribution and abundance of breeding woodcock in Ireland, and the environmental drivers that influence these, through a nationwide ‘roding’ survey from 2017 to 2021 and a two-step species distribution modelling (SDM) method. ii. Explore whether hunting and bird age affected the survival of non-breeding woodcock using radiotelemetry to monitor the fates and activity of 168 tagged birds across three hunted and three not hunted sites. iii. Explore whether hunting and bird age affected the use of space and movement ecology of non-breeding woodcock using global positioning system (GPS) tracking of 42 birds across three hunted and three not hunted sites. iv. Assess woodcock habitat preferences in the context of heterogenous Irish landscapes, and explore whether hunting affects habitat preferences using GPS tracking of 42 birds across three hunted and three not hunted sites. These objectives produced the following key results: i. National roding survey results and SDM outputs estimated that breeding woodcock are more widespread in Ireland than recently reported, with a population estimate of 27,434 males (95% CL: 16,947 - 36,288). Bioclimatic variables, including precipitation and temperature seasonality and mean winter temperature, were important determinants of woodcock distribution, whilst forest habitat availability and composition at different landscape scales significantly influenced their abundance. ii. Survival of overwinter woodcock across the six sites was high relative to the findings of comparative studies, with an estimated monthly survival rate during the hunting open season of 98.0%. The predominant cause of recorded mortality was hunting, followed by natural predation. Too few mortalities were recorded to meaningfully investigate the effect of hunting and bird age on mortality rates. iii. Both hunting and bird age affected the use of space and movement ecology of non-breeding woodcock. Hunted and juvenile birds recorded larger diurnal and nocturnal home ranges than not hunted and adult birds, respectively, and hunting disproportionately affected adult woodcock commuting movements. Juveniles showed a slightly higher level of localised exploratory movement than adults. iv. Diurnal and nocturnal habitat preferences of non-breeding woodcock were ranked. Hunting affected habitat preference, with hunted birds showing greater preference for broadleaved forest and less preference for hedgerows and scrub; these three habitats were of equal importance to not hunted birds. Nocturnally, hunted birds showed greater preference for grassland habitats at night and lower preference for closed habitats. The results are discussed in the context of wider knowledge of woodcock and other species, and the scope for further research and species monitoring effort is explored. This research provides novel information and methodology with international appeal on the spatial ecology and impacts of human activity on this species. It is hoped that this work will contribute to the implementation of sustainable landscape and species management practices with a view to reducing human impacts on the natural world.en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationO'Neill, J. B. 2024. The spatial ecology and conservation of an important game bird in Ireland: the Eurasian woodcock. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.
dc.identifier.endpage193
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/16970
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.rights© 2024, James O'Neill.
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectSpatial ecology
dc.subjectConservation
dc.subjectHunting
dc.subjectWoodcock
dc.subjectSpecies distribution model
dc.subjectHabitat selection
dc.subjectGame bird
dc.subjectGPS telemetry
dc.titleThe spatial ecology and conservation of an important game bird in Ireland: the Eurasian woodcocken
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD - Doctor of Philosophyen
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