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Estimated European Fallow Deer Density on Rhodes Was Highest in Mixed Habitats

European fallow deer among olive trees at Plimmiri on Rhodes
Conservation · Population & status

A study of European fallow deer (Dama dama) on Rhodes, Greece, found that estimated deer density was consistently highest in mixed habitats, where cultivated fields and olive groves form a mosaic with natural vegetation. Across four direct and indirect survey approaches, estimates in these habitats ranged from 7.85 to 10 individuals per km², compared with 2.24–2.64 per km² in shrublands and 0.65–2.96 per km² in forests.

Fallow deer density by habitat on Rhodes
Estimated density (individuals/km²) with uncertainty around the estimates. DDS and SDS are daytime and spotlight surveys. FSC_1–3 count existing faecal pellet groups in different periods or plot shapes; FAR measures newly accumulated groups. Figure 2: Bakaloudis et al. (2026), Land, CC BY 4.0.

Researchers surveyed the island during the rut in October 2022 using both daytime and spotlight distance sampling. They drove the same road transects slowly, recorded deer or groups on both sides and measured the perpendicular distance from the route to each detection; these distances allow the model to account for animals becoming less likely to be seen farther from the survey line. They also estimated density from faecal counts, using the standing crop method in October 2022 and January 2023 and the accumulation-rate method after revisiting plots in January 2023.

Mixed habitats consistently had the highest density

The daytime surveys recorded 102 sightings of individuals or groups, and the spotlight surveys recorded 95. The authors note that uncertainty around several habitat-specific estimates was large, reflecting relatively low precision where encounters were fewer and habitats more heterogeneous.

One faecal-count method gave the best efficiency

Among the indirect approaches, counting existing faecal pellet groups in rectangular plots performed best when the researchers compared precision and field effort. They recommend using these counts as the basis for long-term monitoring on Rhodes, supplemented by spotlight surveys when information about the population’s sex and age composition is needed.

Sources and image credit

  1. Bakaloudis, D. E., Kotsonas, E. G., Papastergiou, K. S., & Papaioannou, G. (2026). Evaluating direct and indirect methods for estimating fallow deer (Dama dama) density across habitats in Rhodes Island, Greece: Implications for management. Land, 15(5), 762.

Image: European fallow deer at Plimmiri, Rhodes, Greece, on 26 December 2024. Representative photograph of the island’s deer, taken after the surveys. Photo: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rhodes_Plimmiri_2024-12-26_0579_Dama_dama.jpg">Manfred Werner (Tsui) / Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>. Cropped to 16:9. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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