Postfledging Dispersal of White-Crowned Pigeons: Implications for Conservation of Deciduous Seasonal Forests in the Florida Keys
Strong AM and Bancroft GT. 1994. Postfledging Dispersal of White-Crowned Pigeons: Implications for Conservation of Deciduous Seasonal Forests in the Florida Keys. Conservation Biology. 8(3):770-779
Postfledging dispersal of 31 radio-tagged white-crowned pigeons (Columba leucocephala) from 3 natal keys in Florida Bay was studied during 1988-91. Dispersing birds flew either north to the Florida mainland or east to northeast to the mainline Florida Keys. On the mainland, immature birds fed nearly exclusively within the Everglades National Park or on an adjacent state wildlife management area. On the mainline keys, birds selectively used forest fragments (5.01-20 ha) during the first 72 h after dispersal. After this period, birds showed no preference among fragment size classes, but used deciduous seasonal forests more frequently than suburban habitat. The spatial pattern of dispersal on the mainline keys suggests that the pigeons cannot reach northern Key Largo, where 69% of the deciduous seasonal forests are protected, during the first 72 h after dispersal. Protection of large forest fragments, especially on southern Key Largo, should be a priority for maintaining populations of white-crowned pigeons, which are important dispersers of tree and shrub seeds in the seasonal deciduous forests of south Florida.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Strong, Allan; Bancroft, G
- Units
- BISC , EVER
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Habitat Utilization, Juveniles, Management, Movement (Animal), Preservation, Radio Telemetry, White-crown Pigeon (Columba leucocephala)