Implications of male breeding-season home range movements for population monitoring and minimum reserve area of the Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata), a threatened Yucatán endemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT Information on home range size and movements can inform the design of protected areas for bird species of conservation concern. Populations of the Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata), a heavily hunted Yucatan endemic, appear to be declining rapidly throughout its small geographic range, despite large protected areas. We radio-tagged adult males during the breeding season in a protected, mixed-use area in Belize to describe individual and annual variation in home range size and use. Our objectives were to (1) determine the minimum reserve area necessary to sustain a population of this species, (2) evaluate use of data from related species for home range parameters in conservation plans, and (3) help design species-specific survey methods suitable for distance sampling and camera trapping. There were no differences in mean minimum convex polygon (969 ha), 95% fixed kernel (692 ha), and 50% fixed kernel (90 ha) due to breeding strategy or habitat disturbance. The core home ranges of some individua...