National Census 2024
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Between May and June 2024, fieldwork for a population census was carried out. The goal was to estimate the number of breeding pairs in the Portuguese territory, as well as to update previous trends about the fragmented population.
The Castro Verde SPA was given the most attention as it is the main stronghold in the country, encompassing more than 80% of the population. We mapped out all the existing structures and ruins that could house cavity breeders that were later visited.
The Cuba SPA was also mapped regarding possible nesting sites and visited during the breeding season. For the remaining areas with potential roller occurrence (Vale do Guadiana, Vila Fernando, Veiros, São Vicente & Tejo International SPAs), fieldwork was less frequent and extra information was gathered close to local experts and entities.
In total, 752 points were mapped, but only 516 were accessible and gathered the conditions to house breeding rollers. Places where rollers were sighted were always revisited to confirm nidification.
Results:
For the Castro Verde SPA, the number of breeding rollers was estimated around 69-79 pairs. Comparing to a previous census from 2017, there was a small increase regarding the previously estimated 63-65 pairs.
Outside the Castro Verde SPA, only 3 breeding pairs were found, 2 in the São Vicente SPA and 1 in the Vila Fernando SPA. Taking into account that in 2021 there were 8 pairs breeding in this area, this represents a significant decrease.
Note: In the figure to the right, red dots represent roller nests and blue dots the nest boxes provided by the Roller Project.
Despite all the efforts, the distribution of the European Roller in Portugal seems to keep declining, being now more than ever heavily constricted to the Castro Verde SPA. Estimations from this census point for 72-82 breeding pairs in national territory, which is very concerning, and 25% of these pairs relied on boxes provided by the Roller Project!
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