Landscape Characteristics of Oriental Honey Buzzards Wintering in Western Part of Flores Island Based on Satellite-Tracking Data

Abstract

Oriental Honey Buzzards (OHBs, Pernis ptilorhynchus) are migratory raptor that has been satellite-tracked since 2003. Some islands in Indonesia which are used for wintering habitat are Flores and Borneo. However, both islands have different characteristics of climate and land cover. The objectives of this research were to analyze the landscape characteristic of the OHBs wintering habitat in western Flores, and to subsequently compare landscape characteristic of the OHBs wintering habitat in Borneo. Landscape habitat characteristics were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) combined with GIS and then compared to the previous study in Borneo Island. The result showed that the first of six principal components explained 79.14% and 77.59% of the observed variation in landscape characteristics of both core and edge habitats, subsequently. Habitat selection by OHBs at wintering site was influenced by the availability of thermal wind and food. Savannah was identified as the main landscape characteristic that was different between wintering habitat in Flores and Borneo. Savannah is well-known as a habitat for many species of amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals so that it can be a hunting area that provide alternative feed for OHBs.