Cold weather increases winter site fidelity in a group-living passerine

Abstract

Site fidelity during the non-breeding season is beneficial if habitat quality and environmental predictability are high. In group-living species, the costs and benefits of site fidelity may be linked to the non-social (weather) and social (dominance hierarchy) environments, but little is known about factors influencing movements during the non-breeding season. We studied both within- and between-winter site fidelity of the great tit (Parus major), a partial migrant in northern Finland. We collected mark-resight data on wintering great tits across two winters at multiple sites, and tested for the effects of age, sex, season, temperature and day length on site fidelity. Within-winter movement was lower during mid-winter and decreased during cold periods. This pattern is probably linked to energy saving and predator escaping strategies during these demanding periods when energy expenditure is high and birds have limited daylight hours to forage. Site fidelity was lower for juveniles than adults within a winter, but it was unaffected by sex. These results agree with an age related dominance structure and site-specific dominance found in great tits, but they can also be related to prior experience as young individuals still collect information during their first winter. In contrast, between-winter site fidelity was not affected by age or sex, suggesting equal benefits from site fidelity. Juveniles probably gather information on resource abundance and distribution in their first winter, and thereby gain the same benefits as adults from returning the next winter.