Supplementary feeding could be a useful technique to avoid losses of chicks in certain nests under peculiar circumstances, but it could be appropriate to prolong it until the end of the dependence period also. This would prevent the negative effects on breeders clearly pointed out by Blanco (2006). We have serious concerns about the real magnitude of siblicide in this species, as well as about the possible effect on the growth speed of the population that techniques aimed to improve fecundity would have. Consequently, the suggestion of extending this technique to a large proportion of the breeding population must be seriously reconsidered. The idea that breeding populations and their fecundity are the main target for conservation plans must be revised, according to most recent advances on population dynamics of long-lived species and structure of populations.

Peer Reviewed