WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
A systematic review and multi-species meta-analysis retained 39 primary studies on seven non-passerine steppe birds. Most research came from western Europe and arable landscapes, with sparse coverage of natural grasslands, shrublands, eastern Europe, western and central Asia, northern Africa and wintering ranges. Adult males in the breeding season made up 75.6% of 623 tracked individuals. VHF dominated the published estimates, and comparable GPS estimates tended to produce larger and more variable home ranges.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
A home-range number is not portable across sex, season, habitat and tracking technology. Environmental assessment and conservation planning can look precise while inheriting a deeply uneven evidence base.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
This is a synthesis of published studies, so the result partly reflects what researchers chose and were able to publish. It maps evidence gaps and methodological heterogeneity rather than establishing one correct home-range size or a universal buffer distance.
SOURCE
Animal Biotelemetry — systematic review/meta-analysis
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