Vulnerability of Prey Species to Predation by Two Sympatric Accipitrine Hawks in Rural and Peri-Urban Landscapes in Southern Finland

This study assesses how the predation by the Eurasian sparrowhawk <i>Accipiter nisus</i> and the Eurasian goshawk <i>Astur gentilis</i> may affect the composition of prey communities breeding in rural and peri-urban landscapes. It asks how consistent the vulnerability of prey species is between different predator species and landscapes and which characteristics of prey species affect their vulnerability. Vulnerability of prey species to predation was characterised by the difference between the proportion of the prey species in the sample of prey items caught and the proportion of the species in the local pool of suitable prey. For both predators, vulnerability of shared prey species was positively related to vulnerability to predation between landscapes. Positive relationships between predators suggested that they prey independently from each other, while negative relationships suggest some interaction between predators. Higher vulnerability of shared prey species to sparrowhawk predation suggests that these species were less important prey for the goshawk. Effects of various characteristics of prey species on their vulnerability to predation varied to some extent between predator species and between landscapes. In particular, this was the case for sparrowhawk predation between rural and peri-urban areas. Prominent impact of prey body mass and population density on vulnerability to predation was highlighted.