|
|||
Description: Priolos measure between 15 and 17cm from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail and weigh about 30g. Medium-sized, plump, short-winged, long-tailed, dull coloured finch. Black cap and facial area, tail and wings. Grey lesser covert and greater covert wing-bar. Brown back. Grey nape and uppertail-coverts. Pinkish-brown underparts. Both sexes are identical. Pairs nest in Laurel forest between June and September.
|
|||
|
|||
The next map shows jn relief the Special Protection Area (SPA) of Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme, with an indication of the principal peaks, as well as surveying points for Priolo used in 2003 (yellow points) from the numbered transects (black lines):
|
|||
|
|||
Diet: The Priolo's diet is based on different types of vegetation and changes monthly as the flowers and fruits develop, (see the figure 4). Seven types of foods are consumed through the year: herbaceous seeds, shrub seeds, tree seeds, invertebrates, fern sporangia and fronds, moss and finally flower buds. As the year progresses the Priolo's feeding pattern follows the cycle below:
|
|||
|
|||
Conservation status: The Priolo is a protected species according to the European Directive on Birds and it is included in various lists of threatened animals, both at national level (Red Book of Vertebrates in Portugal) and at international level (IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals). For this reason the Special Protected Area, (SPA) of Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme, (a Natura 2000 site), was created, which includes all of the distribution area of this species, with the main purpose of its protection and conservation. BirdLife International considers the Priolo as a “critically endangered” species. * Ceia, R. 2008. Monitorização da população de Priolo. Relatório da acção F6 do Projecto LIFE Priolo. Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves, Lisboa. |