Italian Alps-group – Snowfinch

single groups

Study area: Italian portion of the Alps

Start of research activities: data collection since early 2000

Ringing and field work activity: most of work is dedicated to breeding pairs.

Main goals of the activities:

• Mapping current distribution of breeding pairs throughout the Italian Alps;

• Modelling current and future species distribution according to climate and habitat change;

• Investigating fine-scaled selection of foraging habitat by breeding individuals;

• Future objectives will include the study of population dynamics and nesting-site selection;

Ringing activity results:

Until now, ringing of snowfinches has been only occasionally performed

Monitoring of reproductive biology

To be launched. First nest-boxes placed in 2016 in Trento province and Stelvio National Park.

Colour ring project:

Started in 2021 in Trento province and Stelvio National Park.

White PVC colour rings with 3 reddigits: 3 letter.

Coordinator of the Italian Alps, Group:

• Mattia Brambilla - Lombardy Foundation for the Environment

Researchers involved Group (Italian Alps)

• Alessandro Forti - Muse Science Museum, Trento

• Antonio Rolando - University of Turin

• Aaron Iemma - Muse Science Museum, Trento

• Beatrice Sangalli - University of Milan

• Chiara Bettega - Muse Science Museum, Trento

• Davide Scridel - Muse Science Museum, Trento

• Dan Chamberlain - University of Turin

• Diego Rubolini - University of Milan

• Enrico Caprio - Piedmont Group of Ornithological Studies GPSO

• Federico Capelli - University of Milan

• Giovanni Boano - Piedmont Group of Ornithological Studies GPSO

• Giuseppe Bogliani - University of Pavia

• Irene Pellegrino - Piedmont Group of Ornithological Studies GPSO

• Marco Pavia - Piedmont Group of Ornithological Studies GPSO

• Matteo Anderle - Muse Science Museum, Trento

• Matteo Cortesi - University of Milan

• Paolo Pedrini - Muse Science Museum, Trento

• Sergio Fasano - Piedmont Group of Ornithological Studies GPSO

• Simone Tenan - Muse Science Museum, Trento

Publications:

•Mattia Brambilla, Diego Rubolini, OjanAppukuttan, Gianpiero Calvi, Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Primož Kmecl, Tomaž Mihelič, Tommaso Sattler, Beniamino Marinaio, Norbert Teufelbauer, Johannes Wahl, Claudio Celada (2022). Identifying climate refugia for high-elevation Alpine birds under current climate warming predictions - Glob Change Biol.(2022);00:1–16.

•María del Mar Delgado, Raphaël Arlettaz, Chiara Bettega, Mattia Brambilla, Miguel de Gabriel Hernando, Antonio España, Ángel Fernández-González, Ángel Fernández-Martín, Juan Antonio Gil, Sergio Hernández-Gómez, Paola Laiolo, Jaime Resano-Mayor, José Ramón Obeso, Paolo Pedrini, Isabel Roa-Álvarez, Christian Schano, Davide Scridel, Eliseo Strinella, Ignasi Toranzo and Fränzi Korner-Nievergelt (2021). "Spatio-temporal variation in the wintering associations of an alpine bird". The Royal Society. Collection. Proc. R. B 288:20210690 - doi.org:101098/rspb.2021.0690

•Eliseo Strinella, Davide Scridel, Mattia Brambilla Christian Schano & Fränzi Korner-Nievergelt (2020) Potential sex-dependent efects of weather on apparent survival of a high-elevation specialist: (2020) Scientific Reports 10:8386.

•Brambilla M., Scridel D., Sangalli B., Capelli F., Pedrini P., Bogliani G., Rubolini D. 2019. Ecological factors affecting foraging behaviour during nestling rearing in a high-elevation species, the white-winged snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis). Ornis Fennica 96: 142-151.

•Scridel D., Brambilla M., Martin K., Lehikoinen A., Iemma A., Anderle M., Jähnig S., Caprio E., Bogliani G., Pedrini P., Rolando A., Arlettaz R. & Chamberlain D.E. 2018. A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Climate Change on Holarctic Mountain and Upland Bird Populations. Ibis, 160: 489-515.

•Brambilla M., Resano-Mayor J., Scridel D., Anderle M., Bogliani G., Braunisch V., Capelli F., Cortesi M., Horrenberger N., Pedrini P., Sangalli B., Chamberlain D., Arlettaz R., Rubolini D. 2018. Past and future impact of climate change on foraging habitat suitability in a high-alpine bird species: management options to buffer against global warming effects. Biological Conservation, 221: 209-218.

•Brambilla M., Cappelli F., Anderle M., Forti A., Bazzanella M., Maserio G., Bogliani G., Partel P., Pedrini P., Pedrotti. L., & Scridel D. 2019 Landscape-associated differences in fine-scale habitat selection modulate the potential impact of climate change on White-winged Snowfinch Montifringilla nivalis. Bird Study, 65: 525-532.

•Brambilla M., Caprio E., Assandri G., Scridel D., Bassi E., Bionda R., Celada C., Falco R., Bogliani G., Pedrini P., Rolando A. & Chamberlain D. 2017. A spatially explicit definition of conservation priorities according to population resistance and resilience, species importance and level of threat in a changing climate. Diversity and Distributions, 23:727-738.

• Scridel D, Bogliani G, Pedrini P, Iemma A, von Hardenberg A, Brambilla M ., 2017 Thermal niche predicts recent changes in range size for bird species. Inter-Reserce Climate Research Vol. 73: 207–216, 2017

•Brambilla, M., Cortesi, M., Capelli, F., Chamberlain, D., Pedrini, P., Rubolini, D. 2017. Foraging habitat selection by Alpine White-winged Snowfinches Montifringilla nivalis during the nestling rearing period. Journal of Ornithology, 158: 277-286.

•Brambilla M., P. Pedrini, A. Rolando, D.E. Chamberlain 2016. Climate change will increase the potential conflict between skiing and high-elevation bird species in the Alps. Journal of Biogeography, 43, 2299-2309.

•Chamberlain D.E., P. Pedrini, M. Brambilla, A. Rolando & M. Girardello 2016. Identifying key conservation threats to Alpine birds through expert knowledge. PeerJ 4: e1723.

•Brambilla M., P. Pedrini, A. Rolando, D. Chamberlain 2015. Climate change will exacerbate the impact of skiing on high-elevation bird species in the Alps in the absence of landscape-level conservation strategies. Abstract book, X EOU Congress, Badajoz (ES), 24-28 agosto 2015 (comunicazione orale).

•Brambilla M., P. Pedrini, A. Rolando, R. Falco, E. Bassi, R. Bionda, D. Chamberlain 2015. Cambiamenti climatici e avifauna alpina: potenziali variazioni distributive e implicazioni per la conservazione delle specie di praterie d'alta quota e foreste montane. XVIII Congresso Italiano di Ornitologia, Caramanico Terme (PE), 17-20 settembre 2015 (comunicazione orale).

•Brambilla M., P. Pedrini, R. Falco, C. Celada, A. Rolando, E. Caprio, D. Chamberlain 2015. Current and future bird distribution in the Italian Alps: defining spatial priorities for conservation, management and connectivity. Symposium Avifauna and climate change, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Parigi, 9-10 ottobre 2015 (comunicazione orale).

•Brambilla M., P. Pedrini, R. Falco, C. Celada, A. Rolando, E. Caprio, D. Chamberlain 2015. Priorità spaziali per la conservazione dell'avifauna alpina in un clima che cambia. Incontri Insubrici di Ornitologia. Dalla conoscenza alla conservazione. Varese, 21 novembre 2015 (comunicazione orale).

•Caprio, E., Chamberlain, D. E., Isaia, M., & Rolando, A. 2011. Landscape changes caused by high altitude ski-pistes affect bird species richness and distribution in the Alps. Biological conservation, 144(12), 2958-2967.

•Chamberlain D., M. Brambilla, E. Caprio, P. Pedrini & A. Rolando 2016. Alpine bird distributions along elevation gradients: the consistency of climate and habitat effects across geographic regions. Oecologia, 181: 1139-1150.

•Chamberlain, D. E., Negro, M., Caprio, E., & Rolando, A. 2013. Assessing the sensitivity of alpine birds to potential future changes in habitat and climate to inform management strategies. Biological conservation, 167, 127-135.

•Chamberlain, D., Arlettaz, R., Caprio, E., Maggini, R., Pedrini, P., Rolando, A., & Zbinden, N. 2012. The altitudinal frontier in avian climate impact research. Ibis, 154(1), 205-209.

•Rolando, A., Caprio, E., Rinaldi, E., & Ellena, I. 2007. The impact of high‐altitude ski‐runs on alpine grassland bird communities. Journal of applied ecology, 44(1), 210-219.