Abstract
Home-range size is a key aspect of space-use, and variation in home-range size and structure may have profound consequences for the potential impact of damage and control strategies for invasive species. However, knowledge on home-range structure of naturalized parrot species is very limited. The aim of this study was to quantify patterns of home-range variation according to sex and age of the monk parakeet Myiopsitta monachus, an invasive parakeet in Europe. Mean kernel home-range size was 12.4 ± 1.22 ha (range 1.7–74.1 ha; N = 73 birds). Juveniles had a larger home-range size than adults, but sexes did not differ in kernel home-range size. The mean maximum distance moved by monk parakeets was 727 ± 37.0 m (range: 150–1581 m), and it was not dependent on either the sex or age of the birds. Having a small home range is one of the conditions for the feasible eradication of an invasive species; hence, the small home range of urban monk parakeets that we report here is good news for pest managers. However, this small home-range size can limit the effectiveness of culling operations with traps or feeders with contraceptives or poison, and other alternatives, such as funnel nets or traps, should be used.
Highlights
Animal movement and space-use is a key topic in ecology [1]
We selected the subsample of birds recorded ≥21 times
Juveniles had larger home-range sizes than adults (Figure 3), and sexes did not differ in kernel home-range size (Table 1)
Summary
Animal movement and space-use is a key topic in ecology [1]. Early work mostly focused on describing movement patterns and their links with external factors (e.g., the environment), neglecting the individual causal drivers of this movement [2,3,4]. Research effort has focused primarily on understanding the reasons for consistent intraspecific variation among individuals, investigating how morphological, behavioral, sexual, or age variation affect movement patterns [5,6,7]. Knowledge on the reasons and pattern of individual movements is especially important in the management of pests, to ensure that pest control actions are undertaken at a scale relevant to the species. Knowledge on home-range size and use is critical, for instance, to determine number and density of traps, their placement, and timing of trapping operations [8,9,10,11]. Simulation models to manage the population dynamics and spread of pest species need estimates of home-range parameters [13,14]
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