Morphometric characteristics of Eurasian woodcock collected during spring hunting (March) in Hungary between 2010 and 2014 were investigated to evaluate the accuracy of methods for determining the sex of live birds. We analysed the size dimorphism of biometric traits by sex, age, and sex and age, with sex determination (n = 13,226) performed by destructive methods and age determination based on wing examination (n = 8,905). Using the minimal important differences (MID) method, we demonstrated that, during spring migration, adult females have significantly greater mass and bill length than juvenile females and adult males, as well as a significant difference in body length compared to juvenile females. No biologically relevant differences were demonstrated between the sexes or age classes for other morphometric parameters. Conditional inference trees were applied to test whether body size parameters could be used to separate the age and sex of individuals. Based on posterior probabilities (55.4%), we suggest that biometric parameters no longer provide a sufficiently reliable method to separate age classes during the spring migration. Separation of sexes showed the best results for adult birds, with bill length (85.4%) and body mass (85.2%) proving the best predictors. The inclusion of additional morphometric variables (tarsus, tail, body and wing length) in the model did not increase the reliability of sex segregation, confirming the results obtained using MID, i.e. that there is no statistically verifiable biologically relevant difference between adult male and female birds for these parameters. A methodological innovation in this study was using MIDs for comparisons to determine biological thresholds for differences, the procedure helping to exclude Type I errors and determine biological significance.

In this study, we investigated the bioaccumulation of 17 heavy metals—titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, antimony, cadmium, tin, mercury, and lead—in the liver and kidney tissues of the least weasel, based on samples (n = 129) collected from adjacent intensive agricultural environments in Hungary and Austria. To explore the structure of the bioaccumulation data, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. The PCA score plot based on national-level elemental profiles revealed no differentiation between Austria and Hungary. In contrast, a clear and unambiguous distinction was observed between the two examined tissues within individuals for Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, Se, Mo, Cd, and Hg (p < 0.001), as well as for Pb (p < 0.05). The biological relevance of the accumulation results was adjusted using the MCID approach. As heavy metal accumulation in the least weasel has not yet been investigated, our results could only be compared with concentrations reported for predatory mammals occurring in similar habitats. Based on the relevant literature, we highlight predominantly anthropogenic exposure pathways affecting agroecosystems—organic and mineral fertilizers, plant protection products, wastewater, and fossil fuels—which underscore the necessity of regular biomonitoring studies in agricultural landscapes.

A mintegy 110 hektár területű lébényi Tölgy-erdő az egyik utolsó kisalföldi természetszerű erdőtömb, amelyben a fehér akác és a mirigyes bálványfa inváziója veszélyezteti az állományok természetességét. Ennek érzékeltetésére kétféle módszer került alkalmazásra: 1. durva léptékű, erdőtag alapú felmérés az erdőtervi adatokra támaszkodva; 2. finom léptékű, a teljes területet 25×25 m-es rácshálóval tagolt mintaterekben felvett terepi adatokra támaszkodva. Az első módszer során érzékeltetni lehet a két fafaj térhódítási dinamikáját, míg a másik módszer segítségével a terjedési gócpontokra (propagulumforrásokra) lehet a figyelmet ráirányítani. A finomabb léptékű felvételezés során gyűjtött újabb fehér akác és mirigyes bálványfa elterjedési adatok jelentős segítséget nyújthatnak abban, hogy a célzott természetvédelmi kezelésekkel hol és milyen módon kell beavatkozni annak érdekében, hogy a lébényi Tölgy-erdő természetességi állapotát a lehető leghatékonyabban lehessen visszaállítani a két fafaj térfoglalásának visszaszorításával. Az üzemtervek hat bázis-időpontban rögzített adatainak elemzéséből megállítható, hogy a fehér akác esetében a mag eredetű felújításról a sarjaztatásos felújításra tértek át mind a két kezelési (termelőszövetkezeti, majd nemzeti park igazgatósági, ill. erdőgazdasági) forma esetében. Közvetlenül a rendszerváltást megelőző erdőtervezési időszakban e fafaj térfoglalása még 15,6 %-ot tett ki, addig ez az arány 2024-ben már csak 2,7 %-ot jelent. A mirigyes bálványfát az erdőgazdasági kezelésű erdőrészben már az 1968-as erdőtervi adatok sorában ugyan leírták, de elenyésző arányban (1,5 %). E fafaj területaránya ugyan stagnáló értéket mutat a 2006-os és a 2024-es évek között (átlagosan 1,9 %-ot), de jelenléte permanens, sőt két gócpont is kirajzolódik a területen. Az erdőgazdálkodási és a természetvédelmi érdekek itt azonosak, ennek ellenére a mirigyes bálványfa kiszorítására tett próbálkozások sikertelennek bizonyultak. A mintateres felmérés eredményei alapján a fehér akác a felvett 1640 kvadrát 82,3 %-ában fordult elő, míg a mirigyes bálványfa azok 41,0 %-ában. A fehér akáchoz képest a mirigyes bálványfa mintaterületenkénti megjelenése csaknem inverz megoszlást mutat, paradox módon e fafaj visszaszorítása érdekében tett beavatkozások teremtenek kedvező viszonyokat megjelenésének. Fontos kérdés az abundancia mellett e faegyedek átmérőmegoszlása is. A becsült átlagátmérő megoszlás a fehér akác esetében közel normális eloszlást tükröz. Az akác esetében a kvadrátonkénti átmérőviszonyok az e fafajjal való gazdálkodásnak megfelelően alakulnak, de az 5 cm-nél vékonyabb akác egyedek a felmért kvadrátok 8,0 %-ában voltak jelen, ami egyértelműen az inváziós karakter érvényre jutását tükrözi. A mirigyes bálványfa esetében viszont a legnagyobb gyakoriságot az 5 cm-t el nem érő „vékony bálványfa” kategóriában tapasztaltuk.

Moult of the Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola L.), possibilities of age determination based on the feather. This study summarises the most important data in the literature on the feather changing of woodcock. This is supported by a set of recommendations for an easy-to-use field practice, summarising the typical age stamps by age group. This is an important topic, because there is no detailed literature available in Hungarian on feather changing and age determination for domestic practice. For ringing work in Hungary and for the analysis of data sets evaluated by sex and age in wildlife studies, the age of birds is an indispensable knowledge, but in this respect, it is sufficient to distinguish between adult and juvenile specimens, and a finer-scale grouping is not common practice in Hungarian woodcock research, although the criteria for this classification are also presented in this paper for the sake of completeness. The distinction between juvenile and adult age classes is based on the degree of moulting, and the examination of this for each group of feathers in the wing, for which the following stamps should be considered: In juvenile specimens, the large upper wing coverts are short and narrow, with a typically dull reddish-brown to brownish tint, the black parts also dull, and the down at the base of the feathers less developed. In juvenile secondaries, the rusty, cinnamon-brown striping near the shaft of the feather is distally pointed and reduced to a triangular dark patch. The characteristic light spot on the underside of the tail-feathers is a dull shade of greyish white, with a more diffuse light brown pattern than on the adult plumage. (Figure 5). First-year birds can be distinguished from older birds by the wear and shape of the tips of the 8th to 10th primaries, which are not shed during juvenile moulting. In addition to their weariness, it should be noted that they are distinctly pointed, not concave, and their edges are usually not bone-coloured. Primaries have a wide edge (1,5-2,5 mm), which is usually the same brownish colour as the ridge pattern. The contrast can be stark for the greater coverts, because birds that hatch early in the breeding season have time to shed all the greater coverts before the autumn migration, so these feathers already reflect adult characteristics. During the first wintering, the tips of the 5th and 6th primaries are slightly convex, and the wing covers have a sugar-loaf tip. The light patch at the base of the tail-feathers is white at this stage, the brown pattern is well defined and not diffuse. Adults moult between July and September (primaries, secondaries, tertials and tail-feathers), so their plumage is free from wear in autumn and winter, compared to the worn, poorer condition of the first-year birds with unmoulted feathers. The tip of the 5th and 6th primaries in adult birds is broadly flattened and slightly concave. The tips of primaries have narrow edges (<1,5 mm), usually white with a bone colour. All greater upper-wing coverts are reddish brown. and light brown with a light pattern. Fairly long and broad, with well-developed down at the base. The greater under-wing coverts (typically the primary coverts of primaries and secondaries) are greyish with broad, “angular” tips. Occasionally adults do not fully shed juvenile wing feathers, so these can also be seen in second-year birds (Figure 6).

Investigation of the migration of Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola L.) in Transylvania. Based on the results of the synchronous Woodcock counting at the ten observation points in Transylvania, it can be stated that during the spring migration starting in the second decade of February, the number of observed birds showed an increasing trend until mid-March, so the migration can peak by the second decade of March based on the overall data from the ten observation points. Comparing the results of the synchronous Woodcock census in Transylvania and the Hungarian Woodcock Monitoring, it can be stated that, the course of the migration of the species in Transylvania shows a similar dynamic to the Hungarian data (FARAGÓ et. al., 2011, 2012a, 2012b, 2012c, 2014, 2015 a, 2015b, 2016, BENDE, 2021), but its peak can be dated to about 5–15 days earlier than the maximum experienced in Hungary (third decade of March). Based on the observation data recorded at the designated observation points in the lowland and mountainous regions and the difference detected by the analysis of variance, our study results confirm the phase-delayed Woodcock migration previously reported in the Romanian literature (MĂTIEȘ & MUNTEANU, 1976, 1979, 1980). Based on our results, the maximum experienced at the designated sampling sites in the lowland region is 10. March, while in the mountainous areas it is estimated to be 20. March. Examining the relationship between birds and observation sites, we concluded that the observations were independent of the sampling area although the order (magnitude) of the frequency values varied significantly in each area, and the frequency distributions observed at each observation point can be considered similar. One single year is not enough for a statistically reliable description of the spring migration characteristics of Woodcocks. Naturally, with such a small number of items (n = 253) it is not possible to find out the reasons for the differences emerging during the migration. We could only do so with a nationwide time-series dataset including a sufficiently large number of items, and at the same time, we would like to draw attention with our study to the need for wildlife biology research in connection with this species.

In the present study, 7344 spring observations of a short-distance migratory species, the Eurasian Woodcock, from the Carpathian Basin between 1894 and 1926 were used to investigate the timing of the species’ migration and how different environmental factors influenced it. We used a generalized additive model (GAM) to explore migratory patterns by using environmental and geographical variables. In years when the weather was colder and snowier, the birds migrated weeks later than in years with milder weather. This may be due to the availability of earthworms, which are the most important food for the species. In areas at lower altitudes, migration occurred earlier than in mountainous areas, which may also be due to the different weather. Furthermore, a two week difference was observed between the south-western and north-eastern parts of the Carpathian Basin. This difference is still present nowadays, but the timing of migration has shifted earlier than in the past, probably due to climate change. It would also be important to compare the historical data with recent data to gain a better understanding of the effects of climate change on the migration of the Eurasian Woodcock.