Management of game species in the Archipelago of Azores: rabbit, quail, grey-partridge, woodcock and snipe

With this project it is intended to develop a set of studies focused in several game species at the archipelago of Azores (mainly in S. Miguel island). The main proposal is to obtain essential information to a sustainable hunting management. The target species are: Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), European quail (Coturnix coturnix), Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), Common snipe (Gallinago gallinago) and the introduced species - Grey partridge (Perdix perdix). Objectives by species: Rabbit - Determination of relative abundance in S. Miguel island; analyses of demographic parameters during the hunting season; evaluation of the reproductive cycle of the species; European quail (S. Miguel island)- revision of census methods; evaluation of the reproductive cycle of the species; Grey partridge - evaluation of the introduction actions developed by the Forest Services using radio-tracking; Eurasian woodcock - monitoring of the populations in S. Miguel (breeding census) and Pico islands (breeding census and hunting monitoring); enlarge this monitoring to the other islands of the archipelago; Common snipe - develop a preliminary study about the species status in S. Miguel island.