Potential impact of Wild boar (Sus scrofa) on Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) nesting success

In recent decades wild boar have greatly increased in Europe due a combination of environmental and human factors. Because of a high reproduction rate, wild boar cause conflicts with human activities and in particularly agriculture. However, there are concerns also about environmental impact and in particular on ground nesting birds. Our study aim to evaluate the potential impact of wild boar on pheasants nests. Predation rates were compared between two areas with different wild boar abundance and between nests placed in fenced plots with no wild boar access (but accessible to other predators) and open plots in which the wild boar gains access. Predation rate by wild boar in the area with higher wild boar abundance was 61.5% whereas in the area with lower abundance was 16.0%. In plots with free access, wild boar predation was 34.2% whereas in exclusion plots we did not registered predation by wild boar. Moreover, wild boar resulted the main nest predator (total loss 22.8%). Our findings suggest that wild boar could have e strong impact on pheasant reproductive success.