We sought to clarify relationships among morphometrics, behavior, and ecological variables for 21 species of raptors in the Philippines. Morphological space was defined by 42 external characters analyzed as shape variables with respect to body length (without tail). Seventeen variables were used to characterize habitat and five to characterize foraging behavior. Three PCA components accounted for 68% of the total variance in the habitat data and separated species living in dense forests from those using degraded habitats or coastal areas. Two PCA components explained 81% of the variance in hunting mode, with transitions from sit-and-wait to flap-gliding, and with contrasts between soaring and flap-gliding. Three PCA components accounted for 70.5% of the variance in morphological shape. The first component separated species with narrow wings and less-pronounced notches from species with broad, deeply notched wings. The second and third components were associated with the contrast between pointed and rounded wings and prey-capture apparatus (feet, bill). Five morphological characters were highly correlated (R = 0.934) with the first principal component of the habitat data, indicating that species inhabiting forested habitats have square tails, rounded wings, and strong claws. Hunting mode and habitat also were closely related (R = 0.900). Soaring correlated well with the number of notched primaries, tail shape, and measures of the trophic apparatus, but poorly with wing loading and aspect ratio. Behavior, ecology, and morphology of this subset of raptors were closely interrelated. Among the Philippine raptors, species that inhabit rain forests are the most endangered, and we suggest that morphological constraints limit their use of secondary habitats. Received 21 January 1997, accepted 2 February 1998.
Konrad Lorenz-Institute for Comparative Ethology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, A-1160 Vienna, Austria
DIFFERENCES IN EXTERNAL MORPHOLOGY
among species can reliably predict differences
in habitat use and foraging behavior That this
is true is the premise of ecomorphological anal-
yses of bird communities (Karr and James 1975,
Leisler 1980, Miles and Ricklefs 1984, Niemi
1985, Miles et al. 1987, Wiens 1989). Yet, this as-
sumption is rarely tested with data on behavior
and habitat acquired simultaneously in the
field, and comparatively few studies have at-
tempted to clarify relationships among mor-
phometry and the behavior or environment of
the species in question (but see Leisler et al.
1989, Price 1991, Landmann and Winding 1993,
Stiles 1995). Such work is needed to corroborate
premises of ecomorphology and to provide the
necessary link between resource use, perfor-
mance, and morphology demanded for a deep-
er understanding of the relationship between
Present address: Museum of Natural History, De-
partment of Vertebrate Zoology, Bird Collection,
Burgring 7, A-1014 Vienna, Austria.
2 Address correspondence to this author. E-mail:
h.winkler@klivv. oeaw. ac.at
the design of birds and their environment (Led-
erer 1984, Winkler 1989, Wainwright 1991).
Common difficulties in ecomorphological anal-
yses of this kind are character sets that contain
only few or irrelevant characters, or both (Leis-
ler and Winkler 1997). Analyses of closely re-
lated species are usually most successful in
showing ecomorphological relationships (Led-
erer 1984, Leisler and Winkler 1985), whereas
hypotheses of wider phylogenetic scope face
increasing difficulties because of oversimplifi-
cation (Lederer 1984) and because phylogeny
may confound analyses at the community level
(Miles et al. 1987).
To strike a balance between the difficulties
noted above, we studied the diurnal birds of
prey of the Philippines. This group is ecologi-
cally and phylogenetically well defined but is
heterogeneous enough to mediate between
studies confined to closely related species and
those of guilds and communities. So far, no in-
tegrative investigations are available for birds
of prey, although some studies on size differ-
ences (Schoener 1984) and morphology (Ro-
chon-Duvigneaud 1952, Voous 1969, Nieboer
1973, Brown 1976, Bierregaard 1978, Jaksi
1985, Kemp and Crowe 1994, Hertel 1995, Jen-
kins 1995) exist in which morphological pat-
terns were related to some aspects of ecology.
However, studies on raptors that combine data
on hunting modes and habitat use have not
been attempted. The Philippines is an excellent
area for this kind of investigation because a
large variety of raptor species can be observed
in an area of less than 300,000 km 2. Moreover,
habitats in the Philippines span distinctive eco-
logical gradients from tropical primary rain
forest to deforested regions and coastlines.
Originally, the Philippines were almost com-
pletely covered by tropical rain forest. Because
the proportion of forested area was reduced
from 58 to 17% between 1932 and 1991, several
species of raptors currently are threatened by
extinction (Collins et al. 1991, Dickinson et al.
1991, ICBP 1992, Collar et al. 1994).
Our objectives were to: (1) examine the
strength, consistency, and functional basis of
the relationships among foraging mode, habitat
use, and morphology in this assemblage of rap-
tors; and (2) integrate these findings with re-
spect to the question of morphological con-
straints on behavior and habitat use. We also
discuss the consequences of our findings for the
future of these species in the face of continued
habitat loss.
METHODS
Species and study areas.--Members of three of the
five falconiform families (del Hoyo et al. 1994) occur
in the Philippines (Dickinson et al. 1991). We were
able to observe 21 species of 14 genera (Appendix),
including three endemic species and nine endemic
subspecies.
Habitat analyses and behavioral observations were
made during a field study over a period of 9.5
months (January to April 1993, November to Febru-
ary 1994, and March to July 1994). Investigations
were carried out in 19 study areas at elevations rang-
ing from sea level to 2,500 m on the islands of Luzon
(Sierra Madre, Quirino and Isabela; Mt. Makiling,
Laguna), Mindanao (Mt. Kitanglad, Bukidnon; Car-
men-Cantilan, Surigao del Sur; Mt. Apo, Davao City
and North Cotabato; Initao, Misamis Oriental), and
Palawan (El Nido and Bacuit Archipel, northern Pa-
lawan). Observations in each particular area lasted
from a few days to three weeks.
Morphometry.--Study skins were measured using
384 specimens from various museum collections:
British Museum (Tring), National Museum of Scot-
land (Edinburgh), Rijks Museum van Natuurlijke
Historie (Leiden, The Netherlands), Universitets
Zoologiske Museum (Koberthavn, Denmark), Zool-
ogisches Museum der Humboldt Universit;fit (Ber-
lin), Staatliches Naturhistorisches Museum Braun-
schweig (Brunswick, Germany), Naturhistorisches
Museum Wien (Vienna), American Museum of Nat-
ural History (New York), Smithsonian Institution
(Washington, D.C.), Field Museum of Natural His-
tory (Chicago), Museum of Natural History (Cincin-
nati, USA), Delaware Museum of Natural History
(Wilmington, USA), National Museum of the Phil-
ippines (Manila), Wildlife Biology Laboratory at the
University of the Philippines (Los Barios), and the
Zoological Garden (Manila).
Up to 39 study skins of adult specimens were an-
alyzed for common species, whereas for rare species
and subspecies, the number of individuals was much
smaller. Sex ratios within samples of species varied
between 0.45 and 0.55. External morphological fea-
tures were measured mostly as defined in Leisler and
Winkler (1985, 1991). The flight apparatus was rep-
resented with 23 variables. These included length of
all primaries; length of alula; lengths of the first, cen-
tral, and innermost secondaries; lengths of outer and
central rectrices; and wing length. Also used were
the primary projection, or Kipp's distance, measured
as the distance from the wing tip to the first second-
ary; and tail gradation, the difference in length be-
tween the innermost and outermost rectrices (Leisler
and Winkler 1985, 1991). The mean correlation (ab-
solute values) within this data set was 0.525 (range
0.007 to 0.991). Thirteen characters represented mor-
phology of the hind limb. They comprised all toe
lengths, talon chords, and diameters of talons at the
base, and length of the tarsus. The mean correlation
among these variables was 0.395 (range 0.005 to
0.977). The length, width, and depth of the bill were
measured: (1) including the cere at the base of the
bill, and (2) on the bill proper at the distal edge of
the cere. The mean correlation among these six char-
acters was 0.532 (range 0.006 to 0.935).
Two additional characters, aspect ratio (wing span
squared divided by wing area) and wing loading
(body mass divided by wing area), were calculated
from photographs of soaring birds. Data for the Phil-
ippine Falconet (Microhierax erythrogenys) were taken
from a freshly killed specimen. No suitable photo-
graphs were available for the Philippine subspecies
of Jerdon's Baza (Aviceda jerdoni magnirostris), so we
used photographs of its closest equivalent, the Pacif-
ic Baza (A. subcristata) from the Australian region
(Marchant and Higgins 1993). We also had no pho-
tographs of the Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus spilon-
otus). Photographs were scanned using the computer
program Imagein 3.0, and contrast of the silhouettes
was enhanced with program Coral Photopaint 3.0 to
optimize image analysis with program Lucia 2.11.
All measurements of soaring birds refer to fully out-
stretched wings. Because the tail can be fanned to
TABLE 1. Characteristics of the flight apparatus of 16 Philippine raptors and one ecological equivalent from
Australia (in brackets).
Linear-
Wing Wing ized
loading loading wing
Body mass Body length w/o tail w/tail load-
(g) (cm) Aspect ratio (N m 2) (N m 2) ing
Species M F
M F M F M F M F F
[Aviceda subcristata] 307 347
Pernis ptilorhyncus 1,000
Pernis celebensis 679 738
Haliastur indus 450 581
Haliaeetus leucogaster 2,570 3,150
Spilornis cheela 688 853
Accipiter virgatus 95 154
Accipiter trivirgatus 199 353
Accipiter soloensis 156 204
Butastur indicus 375 433
Pithecophaga jefferyi 4,464 6,000
Hieraaetus kienerii 733 800
Spizaetus cirrhatus 1,360 1,600
Spizaetus philippensis -- 1,225
Microhierax erythrogenys 46 52
Falco tinnunculus 186 217
Falco peregrinus 650 1,000
40.0 5.64 5.95 20.6 25.0 17.6 20.1 0.209
58.0 65.0 5.68 5.61 34.4 30.8 30.0 23.4 0.179
53.5 55.4 5.32 5.41 26.0 26.0 22.4 22.4 0.175
47.1 48.9 6.26 6.45 17.2 21.3 15.6 19.6 0.171
70.0 77.0 7.67 7.25 44.4 46.3 43.0 42.6 0.209
52.4 54.5 5.26 5.29 25.5 28.9 22.5 25.6 0.185
25.7 28.1 4.72 4.34 21.1 28.4 16.5 22.2 0.247
33.2 37.5 5.75 5.77 25.4 35.9 19.7 27.7 0.241
27.8 29.0 5.68 6.14 27.3 33.1 22.1 26.9 0.256
42.6 42.9 6.34 6.44 27.2 30.7 22.0 25.8 0.216
95.2 105.2 3.89 3.83 48.7 51.0 42.2 44.3 0.178
46.8 52.6 5.61 5.68 33.2 31.6 27.1 26.1 0.200
58.4 64.9 5.48 5.35 44.9 41.9 37.2 33.5 0.214
56.6 58.2 4.98 4.55 -- 46.5 -- 38.5 0.203
15.9 17.2 5.74 5.66 25.4 26.4 21.9 22.9 0.217
33.8 36.2 7.07 6.92 24.1 24.5 18.0 18.4 0.268
48.9 52.8 5.61 6.13 47.5 57.2 39.1 46.8 0.266
various degrees, we used 60 ø as the standard tail-fan-
ning angle for measurements of all species, and the
silhouettes were modified accordingly. This value is
the approximate average angle shown by soaring
birds. Relevant values were calculated as described
in Pennycuick (1975), Kerlinger (1989), and Norberg
(1990). Wing loading (N m 2) was calculated accord-
ing to Norberg (1990), either with the tail excluded
or included. The two measures of wing loading differ
widely in long-tailed species (Table 1). We also cal-
culated linearized wing loading (Jaksi and Caroth-
ers 1985), except that we used the sum of wing and
body area instead of wing area alone. Body-mass
data were taken from Bennet (1986), Goodman and
Gonzales (1989), Dunning (1993), Marchant and
Higgins (1993), and del Hoyo et al. (1994), and from
labels attached to museum specimens.
All measurements were taken as indices relative to
body length (total body length minus tail length) be-
cause we intended to analyze aspects of shape rather
than size (Mosimann 1970), and all measurements
were log-transformed. Even in raptors with pro-
nounced sexual size dimorphism, morphological
variation between the sexes is low compared with
that among species (see Leisler and Winkler 1991).
Therefore, we used species' means for all analyses.
Field data.--Point observations (>2 h per observa-
tion) were carried out at exposed sites, e.g. cliffs,
clearings, and prominent trees. Through recurrent
visits to each point at different times of the day, the
observations covered the full daylight period (0600
to 1800). Observations made along line transects
were carried out primarily for the study of birds
within the forest interior. To maximize the number
of different individuals, large areas (30 to 50 km 2)
were investigated using both methods. These two
methods have been used successfully in other stud-
ies of tropical forest raptors (Thiollay 1989, Whiracre
et al. 1992). Sample sizes ranged from 2 to 219 ob-
servations per species. Only species with more than
five observations were included in subsequent anal-
yses.
Behavioral and habitat variables were noted si-
multaneously for each undisturbed hunting raptor at
the first sighting. To assure as much statistical in-
dependence as possible (see Hejl et al. 1990), the be-
havior of raptors on the wing was recorded again
only after five minutes had elapsed and, for perched
individuals, additional data were taken only after
the birds had changed their perches. These second-
ary observations comprise only 1.1% of the total of
896 observations.
Five behavioral traits associated with hunting
were chosen: perching, powered flight (continuous
flapping), flap-gliding, gliding, and soaring (Kerlin-
ger 1989). Perching denotes a search mode during
which the bird scans its surroundings from a perch.
When gliding, the wings are held stretched out from
the body in a fixed position without flapping, and
the flight path is more or less straight. Soaring is a
circular gliding mode used to gain altitude in ther-
mals or slope updrafts. Powered flight comprises
two forms, continuous flapping and flap-gliding
(powerglide), a flight mode during which flapping is
interspersed with gliding. The data were analyzed as
arcsine square-root transformed percentages ex-
pressing the proportion of these behavioral modes in
the observations.
To characterize habitat use by raptors, we estimat-
ed forest canopy cover and the proportion (in 5% in-
crements) of 16 habitat types (primary rain forest,
secondary rain forest, degraded secondary forest,
tree plantations, clearings, fallow land, grassland,
pasture, banana, rice, other cultivation, road, settle-
ment, water, coconuts, cliffs) within a 250-m radius
of the location of every bird that we observed. Data
were averaged for each species and then arcsine
square-root transformed for analyses.
Data analysis.--The data were evaluated using
principal components analysis (PCA) and stepwise
multivariate regression analysis. Principal compo-
nents were based on correlation matrices. Particular-
ly when many characters are used, there may be
many relevant components judged by eigenvalues
1. In order to avoid over-interpretation of the data,
however, we adopted the following criterion: a com-
ponent was deemed to be relevant if its correspond-
ing eigenvalue was greater than 1 in 95% of 10,000
bootstrap samples and explained more than 10% of
the total variance. By applying this rule, we avoided
discussing "significang' but biologically irrelevant
components. PCA was used solely to describe rela-
tionships within our data set, which was not intend-
ed to represent a sample of a large, unknown statis-
tical population. The results of the bootstrap analysis
were also helpful in the interpretation of component
loadings. Stepwise methods have been widely criti-
cized (see James and McCulloch 1990), mainly be-
cause they do not guarantee a selection of the most
influential variables or even the best correlations.
Consequently, we used stepwise multiple regression
analysis mainly to show that a particular set of data
can be used to predict the criterion variable; we have
also tried to point out the biological relevance of the
variables selected in each individual case. Although
we cannot rule out the possibility that other variable
combinations may produce better predictions, we
are confident that our results provide good estimates
for the strength of the association among ecological
attributes, behavior, and morphology.
Similarities due to phylogenetic inertia may cause
statistical bias in correlational analyses (Felsenstein
1985, Harvey and Pagel 1991). Available phylogenet-
ic analyses of raptors are widely divergent and do
not include all of the taxa treated by us. Therefore,
we constructed our own phylogenetic tree (Fig. 1)
based on studies by De Boer and Sinoo (1984), Boyce
and White (1987), Olsen et al. (1989), Marchant and
Higgins (1993), Seibold et al. (1993), Helbig et al.
(1994), Holdaway (1994), Griffiths (1994), Wink and
Seibold (1995), and Wink et al. (in press).
Independent contrasts were computed for the sta-
tistical evaluation of stepwise multiple regression
c Pe ptilorhyncus
Pe celebensis
I Avjerdoni
Sp cheela
F__- Ac virgatus
I LAcsøløensis
Ac trivirgatus
d Pijefferyi
Sp cirrhatus
Sp philippensls
Hi kienerii
Ha indus
I Ha leucogaster
Ci sp#onotus
E Ci melanoleucos
Bu indicus
El caeruleus
Fa tinnunculus
-- Fa severus
-- Fa peregrinus
MI erythrogenys
FIG. 1. Classification of Philippine raptors used
to compute independent contrasts.
analysis results. The variables were analyzed with
multiple linear regression through the origin (Fel-
senstein 1985). The independent contrasts were rath-
er sensitive to the branch lengths. Therefore, in some
cases we also present results with corrections that as-
sume constant branch lengths between nodes. We
used independent contrasts only as a means of re-
ducing bias, and not as estimates for correlated evo-
lutionary changes; that is, we did not necessarily as-
sume that characters evolved homogeneously
throughout the phylogeny of the group. All results
of the regression analyses are presented as plots of
the observed values of the criterion variable based on
predictions from the multiple regression equations.
To conserve the functional relationship, and to dis-
play the positions of individual species in the scatter,
we present the relations of the original variables and
not those of the contrasts. All calculations were car-
ried out with programs written by us.
RESULTS
Habitat.--Among the 21 raptors studied, 13
species occurred in habitats with more than
50% forest cover and therefore were defined as
forest dwellers; the other 8 species occupied
/ PPPHk
o
Fti / eAte
1oo
o
0 20 40 60 80 100
% forest cover
FIC. 2. The relationship between height above
ground at which a species forages and forest cover in
Philippine raptors. Open circles denote species that
hunt above the canopy, filled circles denote species
that inhabit forest interior, and open triangles denote
species that use open habitats. See Appendix for the
abbreviations used to designate species.
open habitats (Fig. 2). All forest dwellers except
the Chinese Goshawk (Accipiter soloensis) are
residents. Four species of the open and semi-
open habitats are winter visitors only. The for-
est dwellers fall into two distinct groups (Fig.
2): (1) four species that hunt inside the forest
below the canopy (below 40 to 50 m), and (2)
nine species that hunt within and above the
canopy zone.
Three principal components accounted for
68% of the total variation in habitat (n = 18 spe-
cies). The first component (PC1) explained 34%
of the variation (eigenvalue = 5.83) and de-
scribed the contrast between densely forested
habitats and open and extremely "disturbed"
habitats consisting of grasslands and rice
fields. PC2 explained 21% of the variation (ei-
genvalue = 3.60) and was related to an increas-
ing proportion of water (effectively, the sea),
coconut palms, and rocky areas in the habitat
versus degraded and secondary forest stands
and banana cultivations. PC3 explained 13% of
the variation (eigenvalue = 2.18) and described
variation within cultivated areas, from settle-
ments and neighboring farming areas to aban-
doned fields. Much of the variation in habitat
use concerned the open country birds, as de-
fined above. Forest species formed a tight clus-
ter, and those of the interior scored lower on the
first principal component (t = 3.06, P = 0.011)
but were not separated from those hunting
mainly above the canopy in the second com-
ponent (t = 1.68, P = 0.121).
Behavior.--Two principal components ex-
plained 81% of the overall variation in hunting
mode (n = 18 species). PC1 explained 48% of
the variation (eigenvalue = 2.57) and was as-
sociated with the transition from sit-and-wait
to flap-gliding hunting modes. PC2 explained
33% of the variation (eigenvalue = 1.26) and
represented the contrast between soaring and
the other flight modes. This suggests that in
these birds, the difference between the use of
different flight modes was nearly as important
as the transition from active-search to sit-and-
wait hunting.
Morphology.--Three principal components
accounted for 70.5% of the variation associated
with flight and feeding apparatus. PC1 ex-
plained 36% of the variation (eigenvalue =
15.25) and arranged the 21 species along a con-
tinuum from species with narrow wings and
less-pronounced notches to those with broad,
deeply notched wings. The width of the wings
was reflected in a positive correlation with
length of the inner primaries (P1 to P6), the sec-
ondaries, and the scapulars. PC2 combined
characters of the flight apparatus with claw
measurements and explained 20% of the total
variance (eigenvalue = 8.51). With respect to
the wing, this axis denotes a decrease in wing
length that was mainly due to a reduced distal
section of the wing and thus reduced point-
edness of the wing (Kipp's distance), and to an
increase in the number of wing slots. The claw
measurements referred to increasingly large
(length, diameter) inner and hind claws. Spe-
cies scoring high on this axis are well equipped
for killing comparatively large prey with their
feet. PC3 explained 14% of the total variance
(eigenvalue = 6.01) and was related to the feet
and the bill; this component represented the
major variation in the feeding apparatus to-
gether with the "killing-grip variables." PC3
denoted an overall increase in the length of the
toes together with lengthened outer and mid-
dle claws. Bill size increased along this axis
with a relatively smaller increase of the distal
section and an almost parallel increase of bill
width and height. This axis thus represents an
increase in the relative size of the capture ap-
paratus (feet) and bill that together are well
suited for killing avian or insect prey.
The sixth primary (P6) can be considered as
Sp. Pj
c.) P ('O"'ec/
' _. Ato Sch OPpp
-3 B
Fti
-6 -3 0 3 6
Prediction from morphology
F]G. 3. Morphological correlates of habitat use in
Philippine raptors. Results are from a multiple re-
gression of morphological variables as predictors of
habitat data based on PC1 scores. Values predicted
from the regression equation are plotted on the X-
axis, and observed scores are plotted on the Y-axis.
Of the five morphological variables extracted, Kipp's
distance and length of central rectrices negatively
correlated with predicted habitat use, and diameter
of hind claw, length of inner toe, and length of in-
nermost seconda positively correlated with pre-
dicted habitat use (see text).
a key structure for the form of the wing. If P6
is long, the outer primaries (P7 to P10) are
short, giving the wing a rounded appearance.
If P6 is short, the outer primaries become lon-
ger, and the wing is more slender and pointed.
The length of P6 correlates well with PC1 (r =
0.89), and the lengths of P7 to P10 correlate
negatively with PC2 (r = -0.47 to -0.79).
Integration.--To identify morphological cor-
relates of habitat use, we conducted a stepwise
multiple regression analysis using PC1 of the
habitat data against 42 morphological vari-
ables. The five morphological variables extract-
ed explained 87% of the total variance (R =
0.934; Fig. 3). Two characters (Kipp's distance,
length of central rectrices) were negatively cor-
related with predicted habitat use, whereas
length of the inner toe, diameter of the hind
claw, and length of the innermost secondary
were positively correlated with predicted hab-
itat use. The multiple R for the corresponding
independent contrasts was 0.811 (P < 0.05).
Thus, species that occurred in habitats with a
higher percentage of forest cover tend to pos-
sess square-cut tails and round, broad wings.
They also possess hind limbs that are typical of
raptors that prey on vertebrates.
Stepwise multiple regression analysis of
habitat using PC2 (forest interior vs. coastal)
yielded a high multiple correlation (R = 0.900,
P < 0.0001) with three morphological predic-
tors. Wing length and tail gradation were pos-
itively correlated, and length of outer rectrices
was negatively correlated, with the tail becom-
ing more wedge-shaped with increasing use of
coastal habitats. When the clearly outlying
White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
was excluded from analysis, the multiple cor-
relation between the same variables and PC2
was still substantial (R = 0.785, P < 0.005), and
the regression coefficients were similar. The
difference between the observed PC2 score of
the sea-eagle and that calculated from the re-
gression equation is well within acceptable er-
ror limits (deviation <90% of overall standard
deviation of observations around the regres-
sion). The R-value was 0.596 (P > 0.05) when
computed from standardized independent con-
trasts and 0.845 (P < 0.001) when computed
with branch lengths set to equal.
The most important structural habitat vari-
able was canopy cover (cf. Thiollay 1996). Step-
wise multiple regression analysis with canopy
cover as the criterion variable produced a mul-
tiple correlation of R = 0.906 (P < 0.0001), with
Kipp's distance and length of central rectrices
correlating negatively, and inner toe length and
bill height correlating positively, with the pre-
diction (Fig. 4). The corresponding R-value was
0.644 (P > 0.05; P < 0.05 using Kipp's distance
and tail length alone) for the standardized in-
dependent contrasts and 0.901 (P < 0.0005) for
the independent contrasts calculated with
branches set to equal length. As in the preced-
ing analysis, these results indicate that raptors
living in forested areas tend to possess round-
ed wings.
Species of the forest interior differed from
those hunting within or above the canopy by
being smaller (t = 3.30, P = 0.007; log-values of
female body mass). No significant size differ-
ences were found between the forest species
and the open country species.
We expected that the most important struc-
tural habitat variable, canopy cover, would
show the strongest association with flight
mode. Stepwise multiple regression analysis
0 /0 Av
I Bi ..
I 2 3 4
Prediction from morphology
FIG. 4. Morphological correlates of use of canopy
cover by Philippine raptors. Results are from a mul-
tiple regression of morphological variables as pre-
dictors of habitat canopy cover. Values predicted
from the regression equation are plotted on the X-
axis, and observed scores are plotted on the Y-axis.
Of the four morphological variables extracted, Kipp's
distance, and length of inner remiges were negative-
ly correlated with predicted canopy cover, and inner
toe length and bill depth (without cere) were posi-
tively correlated with predicted canopy cover (see
text).
(backward variable selection) showed that the
search mode used in foraging predicted habitat
use with respect to canopy cover very well.
Perching, gliding, and soaring accounted for
81% of the variance in canopy cover (R = 0.900,
P < 0.0001; R = 0.765, P < 0.01 for the stan-
dardized independent contrasts). All coeffi-
cients were positive; perching, however, was
negatively correlated with the regression score.
Basically, the results mean that soaring and
gliding occurred mainly in connection with
closed habitats. The plot of predicted versus
observed values (Fig. 5A) shows that the spe-
cies observed in totally open habitats, Eurasian
Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and Eastern Marsh
Harrier, may have determined the results.
Thus, we repeated the analysis excluding these
species in order to corroborate the results. The
same variables were selected in the stepwise
multiple regression analysis; the signs and
magnitudes of the coefficients, as well as the
correlations with the regression scores, were
similar to the foregoing analysis. In particular,
o
'A
0 I 2 3
' ,
ZM, A sø
I 2 3 4
Prediction from behavior
Behavioral correlates of use of canopy
FIG. 5.
cover by Philippine raptors. Results are from a mul-
tiple regression of behavioral variables as predictors
of habitat canopy cover. Values predicted from the
regression equation are plotted on the X-axis, and
observed scores are plotted on the Y-axis. Three be-
havioral variables were extracted: perching, gliding,
and soaring (see text). (A) Analysis based on all spe-
cies. (B) Analysis based on all species except Eur-
asian Kestrel and Eastern Marsh Harrier.
we obtained R = 0.783 (P < 0.01; R = 0.760, P
< 0.025 for the independent contrasts), and the
predicted scores for the two omitted species
were very close to the observations (Fig. 5B).
Stepwise multiple regression analysis was
applied to test the correlation between modes
of locomotion and morphological characters,
including aspect ratio and wing loading (Table
1). First, we analyzed the relationship between
56
8ch 0
0 ),..S z/Pc$
40 Hii /xH( Ppp
) HyAjm
te
8 24 40 56
Prediction from morphology
FIG. 6. Morphological correlates of soaring be-
havior in Philippine raptors. Results are from a mul-
tiple regression of morphological variables as pre-
dictors of proportion of time soaring. Values pre-
dicted from the regression equation are plotted on
the X-axis, and observed scores are plotted on the Y-
axis. All three of the morphological variables extract-
ed (bill width without cere, tail graduation, and tar-
sus length) were negatively correlated with propor-
tion of time soaring (see text).
24.5 e
17.0 19.5 22.0 24.5 27.0
Prediction from behavior (PC)
FIc. 7. Behavioral correlates of wing loading in
Philippine raptors. Results are from a multiple re-
gression of behavioral variables as predictors of lin-
earized wing loading. Values predicted from the re-
gression equation are plotted on the X-axis, and ob-
served scores are plotted on the Y-axis. The two vari-
ables extracted were scores of PC1 and PC2 of the
behavioral data. The Pacific Baza (Asu) was used as
a surrogate for ]erdon's Baza in this analysis (see
text).
morphology and soaring. A strong correlation
(R = 0.878, P < 0.0001; R = 0.849, P < 0.001 for
the independent contrasts) was found with
three characters (all of them entered with a
negative sign): (1) width of bill (without cere),
(2) tail gradation, and (3) length of tarsus (Fig.
6). Raptors that soar frequently have a short
tarsus, narrow bill, and a square-cut tail. With
respect to the flight apparatus alone, the num-
ber of primary notches was positively correlat-
ed with soaring (r = 0.599, P < 0.01; r = 0.570,
P < 0.05 for the corresponding independent
contrasts). Wing loading and aspect ratio to-
gether explained only 21% (P > 0.05) of the
variance in soaring frequency.
We also examined the claim by Jaksi and Ca-
rothers (1985) that linearized wing loading is
related to the sit-and-wait versus active-flight
continuum of hunting mode. We used ordinary
multiple regression, with the first two principal
components derived from the behavioral data
as predictors (Fig. 7). The correlation (R =
0.801, P < 0.001; R = 0.536, P > 0.05 for stan-
dardized contrasts; R = 0.744, P < 0.01 for con-
trasts with equal branch lengths) indicated that
wing loading is low in large species in which
foraging behavior is dominated by soaring in
combination with a moderate proportion of sit-
and-wait hunting.
DIscussioN
Our analyses revealed consistent compo-
nents of morphological covariation with for-
aging habitat and behavior. We also showed
that the relationships among foraging behav-
ior, habitat, and morphology to a large extent
are independent of phylogenetic relationships.
The shape variables that were the most impor-
tant components of morphological variation
pertain to characters that usually are not mea-
sured at all--wing shape and the feet. Features
of the bill figured only marginally in this vari-
ation. One of the most popular characters in
ecomorphological studies, tarsus length, did
not contribute substantially to the three major
components of morphological variation, and
even wing length was not very important as a
shape variable. The correlation analyses yield-
ed similar results, although tarsus length was
relevant for predicting the frequency of soaring
(see below). Our findings stress how important
it is to work with sufficiently large morpholog-
ical character sets (Leisler and Winkler 1985,
1997), and they should be considered when dis-
cussing results obtained in studies based on
character sets restricted in number or on the
functional complexes to which they belong (e.g.
Schoener 1984, Hertel 1995).
Several studies have discussed the flight
style of raptors with respect to wing loading
and aspect ratio (Pennycuick 1975, Rayner
1988, Jaksi and Carothers 1985, Janes 1985,
Kerlinger 1989, Norberg 1981, 1990). These
characters were not the best predictors of the
frequency of certain flight modes in our study.
Soaring, for instance, was best predicted by the
number of notched primaries, and its close re-
lationship with features of the feeding appa-
ratus hints at the complex web of factors that
may influence the evolution of behavioral and
morphological traits. Wing loading and aspect
ratio were not correlated significantly with
soaring frequency. Although Rayner (1988)
found it surprising that soaring hawks have
low aspect ratios, subsequent discussions of the
subject stressed that long wings may be dis-
advantageous for taking off from perches and
that thermal soaring requires a small turning
radius (see Norberg 1990). Our findings con-
firm the notion that for raptors that are limited
in wing span (and hence have low aspect ratio
and rounded wings), notched primaries are the
appropriate alternative to reduce induced drag
(Pennycuick 1972, Withers 1981, Kerlinger
1989, Norberg 1990). This, and the fact that low
wing loading also is related to other aspects of
flight performance (i.e. slow flight; Norberg
1990), may be responsible for the poor predic-
tions derived from aspect ratio and wing load-
ing alone. The hypothesis that raptors with
high wing loading typically use sit-and-wait
hunting modes, whereas species with low wing
loading are active-search foragers (Jaksi and
Carothers 1985), was supported by our data.
However, light wing loading also was charac-
teristic of most species for which sit-and-wait
hunting was an important component of for-
aging.
Our correlative results concur with ideas de-
veloped by Rochon-Duvigneaud (1952) and
Voous (1969) on the functional and ecological
importance of talon length, and they also stress
that associated features, such as talon diameter
and toe length, are relevant. Habitat, diet, and
foraging mode may be considered independent
niche dimensions (Price 1991), or they may be
seen as completely congruent with each other.
Although Rosenzweig (1985) adheres to the lat-
ter view, Price (1991) showed that within Phyl-
loscopus warblers, foraging behavior and habi-
tat use largely are independent. Janes (1985)
found no strong or consistent relationships be-
tween habitat structure and the foraging be-
havior of hawks. In our study, hunting behav-
ior correlated well with habitat use, and the
morphological predictors for habitat use and
locomotion obtained with stepwise multiple
regression revealed the complex interactions
among these functions. We conclude that hab-
itat use and foraging are neither completely
equivalent nor uncorrelated with one another
This is due, at least in part, to morphological
constraints posed by conflicting demands of
hunting, migration, and habitat use (Winkler
and Leisler 1985, 1992).
Forest-dwelling raptors are small and they
have short, rounded wings as a general adap-
tation to flight in dense vegetation. This results
in a low aspect ratio and moderately high wing
loading, and therefore a rather energetically ex-
pensive flight mode (Jaksi6 and Carothers 1985,
Kerlinger 1989, Norberg 1990). High-speed
powered flight can be attained only by flying at
a speed that is a large multiple of minimum-
power speed (Pennycuick et al. 1994). Thus, a
sit-and-wait strategy combined with short pur-
suits is the most economical hunting mode for
raptors in the forest interior but is not possible
in open areas that lack suitable perches, even if
prey are abundant (Preston 1990, Widen 1994).
The accipiters are typical representatives of
this group; only the migratory Chinese Gos-
hawk, with the longest wing tip of the genus
(Wattel 1973), hunts most frequently above the
forest.
Larger species are not able to hunt within
densely vegetated areas. Therefore, they rely on
the soaring mode of hunting, and they often
perch in tree tops from which they launch their
attacks. Their flight apparatus can be consid-
ered a compromise among various constraints.
The wings are not too long, because these rap-
tors need to dive into the canopy (see also
Brown 1976). Among the species that inhabitat
open and semiopen habitats, the four winter
visitors are completely independent of forest
habitats. Species of open habitats, particularly
migrants, are characterized by high aspect ra-
tios and long, pointed wings. These morpho-
logical specializations support, among other
things, efficient long-distance flight (Winkler
and Leisler 1992, Yong and Moore 1994, M6nk-
k6nen 1995) and prevent these species from
overlapping with species of the forest interior
in morphology, behavior, and habitat require-
ments (Thiollay 1985).
In the Philippines, 13 species occur primarily
in tropical rain forest, including the most en-
dangered species observed during our field
work, the Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jeffer-
yi; Kennedy 1977). Eight of these species are ob-
ligate inhabitants of mature rain forest. Their
main prey, relatively large mammals and birds,
also are restricted to these forest habitats. Some
of these species also use secondary rain forests
to some extent. These areas, however, are rath-
er small and short-lived, and because of exten-
sive exploitation, these forest remnants usually
are converted within a few years into grass-
lands. Owing to the deterioration of the envi-
ronment through human activities (e.g. Salva-
dor 1994, Thiollay 1994, 1996), all forest species
are nearing extinction. Those residents needing
only a minimum of forest have similar mor-
phological characteristics developed as adap-
tations for hunting over open surfaces, e.g.
lakes, shores, or the air space high above the
forest canopy. After deforestation, these spe-
cies were able, to some extent, to exploit new
habitat types such as grasslands or rice fields.
Not actually threatened are the winter visitors.
Members of these species find sufficient habitat
in which they appear to thrive. That species of
primary forests are the most threatened has
been stated for Sumatra, involving in part the
same or closely related species, and for other
nearby tropical countries (Thiollay 1996). Our
study sheds some light on the ecological rela-
tionships underlying the conservation of these
raptor species and how they were shaped by
ecomorphological constraints.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The study was supported by the Austrian Science
Foundation (Fonds zur F6rderung der wissenschaft-
lichen Forschung, Project P8889-BIO) and by the In-
stitute for Wildlife Biology and Game Management
(Agricultural University, Vienna). We are indebted to
the Department for Environment and Natural Re-
sources of the Republic of the Philippines, the Phil-
ippine Eagle Conservation Program Foundation, the
Haribon Foundation, Green Mindanao, N. Ingle (Da-
vao), and the Technical Aid Agency of the Federal
Republic of Germany for their cooperation on the
Philippines. We also express thanks to the industrial
concerns in Carmen (Puyat Logging) and Bislig
(PRI), as well as to the local staff and our Philippine
guides. The morphological portion of the study was
made possible through the excellent cooperation of
the museums and curators of the collections listed
above. We are greatly indebted to A. Schuster, S. Teb-
bich, and M. Zeiler for their support in the field, to J.
Kickert for her advice on the computer-based image
analysis, and to W. Pinsker for his support during
many stages of the study. We also thank W. Bock, R.
Dudley, and an anonymous reviewer for critical com-
ments on the manuscript.
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Associate Editor: K. P. Dial
APPENDIX. Species treated in this paper and their diets. Our observations augmented by data from Brown
and Amadon (1969), Wattel (1973), Kennedy (1977), Cade and Digby (1982), H. Miranda (pers. comm.),
Marchant and Higgins (1993), and del Hoyo et al. (1994). Diet: (?) = possibly, (o) = occasionally, (+) =
regularly, (+ + ) = frequently, (+ + + ) = very frequently.
Code Species Diet
Hunting above the forest
Ppp Pernis ptilorhyncus philippensis Oriental Honey-Buzzard
Pcs Pernis celebensis steerei Barred Honey-Buzzard
Pernis celebensis winkleri
Sch Spilornis cheda holospilus Crested Serpent Eagle
As Accipiter soloensis Chinese Goshawk
Pj Pithecophaga jefferyi Philippine Eagle
Hkf Hieraaetus kieneriiformosus Rufous-bellied Eagle
Scl Spizaetus cirrhatus limnaetus Changeable Hawk-Eagle
Sp Spizaetus p. philippensis Philippine Hawk-Eagle
Spizaetus p. pinskeri
Fpe Falco peregrinus ernesti Peregrine Falcon
Hunting in the forest interior
Ajn Aviceda jerdoni magnirostris Jerdon's Baza
Av Accipiter virgatus confusus Besra
Accipiter virgatus quagga
Ate Accipiter trivirgatus extimus Crested Goshawk
Me Microhierax e. erythrogenys Philippine Falconer
Microhierax e. meridionalis
Hunting outside the forest
Ech Elanus caeruleus hypoleucus Black-shouldered Kite
Hii Haliastur indus intermedius Brahminy Kite
H1 Haliaeetus leucogaster White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Cs Circus spilonotus Eastern Marsh Harrier
Cm Circus melanoleucos Pied Harrier
Bi Butastur indicus Grey-faced Buzzard
Fti Falco tinnunculus interstinctus Eurasian Kestrel
Fss Falco severus severus Oriental Hobby
Wasp larvae (+ + + ), frogs (+),
lizards (+), small nestlings
(+)
Wasp larvae (+ + +), frogs (?),
lizards (+), small nestlings
(+)
Reptiles (+ + + ), small birds (+),
small mammals (+ +)
Insects (+), frogs (+ +), lizards
(+), small birds (+), small
mammals (+)
Reptiles (+), medium and large
birds (+ +), medium and large
mammals (+++)
Small and medium birds (+ +)
Reptiles (+), medium and large
birds (+ +), small to large
mammals (+)
Reptiles (o), small birds (+), me-
dium birds (+ + + ), small
mammals (+)
Small birds (+ +), medium birds
(+++)
Insects (+ + + ), frogs (+), liz-
ards (+)
Small birds (+ + +), small mam-
mals (+)
Lizards (+), small birds (++),
medium birds (+ +), small
mammals (+)
Insects (+ + + ), especially drag-
onflies, butterflies and cicadas;
small birds (o)
Insects (+ + +), lizards (+), small
mammals (+ + + )
Carrion (+ +), grasshoppers (+),
fish (+), frogs (+), reptiles (+),
small birds and mammals (+)
Carion (o), fish (+ + +), reptiles
(+), medium and large mama-
mals (o)
Carrion (o), insects (+), fish (o),
frogs (++), lizards (+), small
birds (+), small mammals (+ +)
Insects (++), frogs (+), lizards
(+), small birds (+), small mam-
mals (+++)
Fish (o), frogs (++), reptiles
(+ + ), small mammals (+ + )
Insects (++), reptiles (+), small
birds (o), small mammals (+ + +)
Insects (+++), small birds
(+ + +), bats (+ +)