Winter Philopatry of Harlequin Ducks in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Iverson SA, Esler D, Rizzolo DJ. 2004. Winter Philopatry of Harlequin Ducks in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The Condor. 106(3):711-715
We used capture-mark-recapture data to assess winter philopatry by Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) in Prince William Sound, Alaska, during winters 1995-1997 and 2000-2001. Philopatry was quantified using homing rates, which were estimated as the proportion of birds recaptured at their original site out of all recaptured birds. Between-year homing rates of 0.95 (95%CI: 0.87-1.00) and 1.00 (0.92-1.00) were estimated for females and males, respectively, at three locations on Montague Island. Similar homing rates were measured in western Prince William Sound, where estimates were 0.92 (0.80-0.98) for females and 0.96 (0.79-1.00) for males, with a scale of detected movements for all recapture birds ranging from 3-52 km. Our results indicate that wintering aggregations may be demographically independent at a much finer spatial scale than genetic data indicate, and that conservation efforts should recognize this degree of demographic separation among population segments.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Iverson, Samuel; Esler, Daniel; Rizzolo, Daniel
- Units
- GLBA , KEFJ , SEAN
- Keywords
- Birds, demographic independence, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Harlequin Duck, Histrionicus histrionicus, homing rate, Population Ecology, Prince William Sound, Recovery, seaduck, site fidelity, Waterfowl, winter philopatry, wintering area