ANUU Migrationists: The survey on Thrush wings towards the thirty year anniversary, more than 8500 wings collected.
Once again the project of the survey on the reading of the wings of the Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) and of the Redwing Thrush (Turdus iliacus) was welcomed by an excellent number of enthusiasts who, thanks to their commitment, have contributed to the collection of 8.553 wings: 6.266 song thrush wings and 2.287 redwing wings. Of the 6.266 wings of Song Thrush, 4.036 belong to young subjects born in the current calendar year, 1972 to adults, and only 258 to indeterminate subjects, i.e. with the absence of the difference in the morphological elements that distinguish youth or adulthood. As regards the 2.287 wings of Redwing Thrush analyzed, 1.458 belong to young subjects, 710 to adults and 119 to undetermined subjects. The total number of wings analyzed since 1984 is 104.773 for the song thrush and 24.239 for the redwing. The project, which we recall has reached its 29th year of construction, aims to monitor the age-ratio of huntable species in order to collect reliable data to understand the health status of the two species. These data are used for the possible realization of a sensible and prepositive plan suitable for conservation and killing in the Italian hunting field.
This project, perhaps the longest-running coordinated in the hunting environment, in addition to having the prerogative of involving enthusiasts making them even more protagonists in the field, has the advantage of being able to add these data, belonging to the two species of thrushes, to those collected through the he scientific ringing activity where, we recall, the reading of the plumage is one of the prerogatives of the research itself, in addition to that of the application of a metal ring to the tarsus. Here, therefore, that the reading of the wings of the thrushes killed during the hunting season, or captured in the presicci supply centers, is a valid contribution to the national definition of the status of the population of these two passerines that can be hunted during the migratory period.
A PLAUSE TO THE COLLABORATORS. Let's face it, on the eve of the 30th year of the research it must certainly be remembered that if this goal has been reached and the collection of all these data, the credit goes to the collaborators who commit themselves to collecting each year. The slaughtered thrushes, whether few or many, collected and cataloged by every enthusiast provide a large amount of useful data for ornithological-hunting science. But the credit also goes to Dr. Giuseppe Micali who, back in 1984, gave life to the project under the supervision of the ANUU Migration leaders who embraced the idea and had it developed in the field in such a radical way that if it were not carried out today, the participants would be missing something.
For the many adherents there is no hunting season without participation in the reading of the wings. Up to now there have been so many collaborators that it is impossible to list them all. On the other hand, it is not impossible to list the people who provided data in the last edition, namely the AFMI associates of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Arcangeli C., Barboni F., Damiani O., Castelli M., Cecchini E., Cecchini D., Dalle Nogare B., Estulli I., Fattori C., Gatti A., Galassi N., Galassi G., Giacomelli R., Gitti B., Giannacchini S., Ghilardi G., Ghilardi D., Ghilardi M., Guazzetti E ., Iaccucci V., Malisan G., Marchiorri M., Mazzioni E., Mondini M., Mori S., Nonini A., Piffari C., Randi R., Rigoni L., Ridolfi R., Rossato A., Rossato D., Segato L., Scaglia S., Stecco S. and Vestucelli M., and, finally, the whole team of the FEIN Ornithological Observatory / European Foundation Il Nibbio di Arosio (CO).
For information on the participation forms for the next survey on thrush wings 2013, it is possible to contact the ANUUMigratoristi Secretariat on 035/243825.
July 31 2013
ANUU Migrators