Seasonal Trends in the Abundance of Eurasian Woodcock Populations Monitored Using “Beccapp” in Apulia, and the Age Structure of Shot Birds

Monitoring population trends of the Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) is challenging due to its cryptic behaviour and migratory dynamics. In this study, we analysed hunting and post-hunting data collected through the “Beccapp” application to assess temporal patterns of the abundance and demographic structure of woodcock in the Apulia region (southern Italy) over three consecutive seasons (2022/2023, 2023/2024 and 2024/2025). A total of 2580 trips were recorded, including 1795 hunting trips and 785 post-hunting monitoring trips, covering 89 municipalities. Relative abundance was estimated using the Index of Abundance per Trip (ICA). Mean ICA values remained stable across seasons and were highly correlated when calculated using all surveyed municipalities or only those consistently monitored (Pearson’s r = 0.998, p < 0.001), indicating robustness to spatial variability. Decadal analyses revealed two main ICA peaks (0.86 in late November–early December and 1.1 in late February–early March), corresponding to post-nuptial and pre-nuptial migration periods. Demographic analyses based on wing collections showed a predominance of juveniles (83.2%) in the hunting bag, with no significant differences in body mass between age classes. These results highlight the value of standardized hunter-based monitoring for monitoring the abundance of Eurasian Woodcock and supporting sustainable management.