Le comparse dell’aquila di Bonelli Aquila fasciata in Italia nord-occidentale: eventi eccezionali o normale erratismo?

Abstract

The authors analyzed all the records of the Bonelli’s eagle Aquila fasciata in North Italy, Tuscany included, on the basis of specimens preserved museum and private collections, bibliographic reports and field observations. Among the 42 records spanning between 1861 and 2010, 37 are exactly dated and are spread throughout the year, with the exception of January and June, and the main concentrations in September. Over 78% of the 28 aged individuals refers to immature birds. Despite a general decline of the species in the breeding areas, an increase of reports in the last decade in NW Italy was observed, likely due to increased observation efforts. Within the regions investigated, Tuscany resulted with the highest number of both historic and more recent records, some of which of considerable interest for the record season and the presence of adults. The situation emerging from the geographic area investigated is discussed in relation to the observations recorded in Western and Central Europe