Roadkill risk in European birds: the role of detection and plumage colouration

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41330%2F25%3A106173" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41330/25:106173 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/oik.11337" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1002/oik.11337</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/oik.11337" target="_blank" >10.1002/oik.11337</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Roadkill risk in European birds: the role of detection and plumage colouration

Original language description

Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) are a significant cause of mortality among European birds. This poses a threat to the conservation of birds because pervasive human-related structures, such as road networks, are expected to expand over the continent in the next few decades. For this reason, a good understanding of the traits that make a bird species more vulnerable to being killed through a collision with a vehicle is essential. Traits such as body mass, plumage colouration, boldness and behavioural characteristics can shape roadkill risks. Here, we first tested the presence of a phylogenetic signal in the roadkill rate of a pool of 55 European birds. Then, we explored the potential correlation between roadkill rate and several ecological characteristics of species. Overall, the incidence of casualties among bird species does not covary with phylogeny. Territoriality, body size, migratory strategy and diet were not significantly associated with roadkill rates in European birds. However, we found that more conspicuous birds and species characterised by a high percentage of dark brown colouration in their plumage were more affected by roadkill. The colour combinations brown dark with brown light and brown dark with grey dark seem less associated with higher roadkill rates. No correlation was found between roadkill rate and single-colour dominance (e.g. a high colour inequality) in European birds. Our findings suggest that a) species exhibiting more boldness and less shyness against humans (e.g. easier to be detected) are also species overall more active and consequently more likely to collide with vehicles on the roads, and b) some colours could play a role in the risk assessment of WVC for birds.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10615 - Ornithology

Project

—

Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Oikos

ISSN

0030-1299

e-ISSN

0030-1299

Volume of the periodical

2025

Issue of the periodical within the volume

11

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

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UT code for WoS article

001528005700001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105010497719