Abstract
Understanding movement patterns and home range of species is paramount in ecology; it is particularly important for threatened taxa as it can provide valuable information for conservation management. To address this knowledge gap for a range-restricted endangered bird, we estimated home range size, daily movement patterns and habitat use of a granivorous subspecies in northeast Australia, the black-throated finch (Poephila cincta cincta; BTF) using radio-tracking and re-sighting of colour banded birds. Little is known about basic aspects of its ecology including movement patterns and home range sizes. From 2011–2014 we colour-banded 102 BTF and radio-tracked 15 birds. We generated home ranges (calculated using kernel and Minimum Convex Polygons techniques of the 15 tracked BTF). More than 50% of the re-sightings occurred within 200 m of the banding site (n = 51 out of 93 events) and within 100 days of capture. Mean home-range estimates with kernel (50%, 95% probability) and Minimum Convex Polygons were 10.59 ha, 50.79 ha and 46.27 ha, respectively. Home range size differed between two capture sites but no seasonal differences were observed. BTF home ranges overlapped four habitat types among eight available. Habitat selection was different from random at Site 1 (χ2 = 373.41, df = 42, p<0.001) and Site 2 (χ2 = 1896.1, df = 45, p<0.001); however, the preferred habitats differed between the two sites. BTF moved further than expected on the basis of current knowledge, with three individuals being resighted over 15 km from the banding location. However, BTF maintain small home ranges over short time-frames. Occasional long-distance movements may be related to resource bottleneck periods. Daily movement patterns differed between sites, which is likely linked to the fact that the sites differ in the spatial distribution of resources. The work provides information about home range sizes and local movement of BTF that will be valuable for targeting effective management and conservation strategies for this endangered granivore.
Highlights
Understanding how animals use landscapes to meet their demands for resources and how those animals establish and use their home ranges is important for managing wildlife [1,2,3]
More than 50% of the resightings occurred within 200 m of the banding site (n = 51 out of 93 events)
Knowledge of movement patterns and habitat selection by a species is a pre-requisite for understanding their ecological needs and planning realistic conservation strategies [4]
Summary
Understanding how animals use landscapes to meet their demands for resources (food, water, and breeding habitat) and how those animals establish and use their home ranges is important for managing wildlife [1,2,3]. Movement patterns and habitat use are driven by the abundance, availability and distribution of resources, as well as the structure of the landscapes in which they are distributed (e.g., patchiness and connectivity; [3,4,5,6]). Understanding movement patterns and home range is crucial when a taxon is threatened and dependent on targeted conservation measures. This information is often lacking when taxa occur at low densities or are difficult to observe due to behaviour or other factors. Little is known about movement and home range of granivorous birds in Australia [13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call