Flavio Monti

My current research focuses on dispersal behaviour in long-lived birds and raptors in particular. The study of exploration and dispersal behaviour is a key component of conservation-related research. Where do individuals go at different times of the year? How far can they disperse? What obstacles can they cross? How likely are they to locate and settle in new and suitable habitats? Dispersal is one of the factors that mostly influence animal survival and consequently drive the dynamics and the demographic trends of populations. The aim of my PhD project is to investigate the dispersal behaviour of the osprey Pandion haliaetus. The osprey is a raptor with unique morphological and behavioural features specialized for catching live fish, their only prey. There are less than 100 breeding pairs distributed between  Corsica, the Balearics, Morocco and Algeria, and in the last years the species returned to breed in mainland Spain and Italy only thanks to translocation programs. Information on spatial ecology of this raptor species is scarce, particularly for dispersal strategies and movements in the Mediterranean area. The main goals of my project are:

a) to describe the dispersal and migratory behaviour of ospreys at different spatial and temporal scales;

b) to analyze the movements of ospreys reintroduced in Northwestern Italy in relation to those of wild ospreys of Corsica;

c) to investigate the existence of connectivity among populations of osprey within the Mediterranean basin;

d) to study the foraging ecology of the osprey, modelling their need for fish resources in an oligotrophic marine environment like the Mediterranean Sea.

This research would improve our basic knowledge about postnatal dispersal and connectivity in the osprey, allowing to design conservation-related measures for an effective management of the species.