Grouping in roe deer: An effect of habitat openness or cover distribution?

Abstract

Counts of roe deer Capreolus capreolus (Linnaeus, 1758) were conducted in the open fields of two reserves in Siena county (central Italy). Area A and area B were characterized by different indices of wood dispersion (0.8 and 1.6 respectively). Solitary roe deer were seen significantly more often in area B (open fields: 80%) than in area A (open fields: 48%). Males were significantly more solitary than females in both areas. Group size varied throughout the year, showing similar tendencies in both sexes and areas. The differences in deer concentration between areas appeared to depend on the distribution pattern of woodland more than proportion of open habitat.