Sex‐biased juvenile survival in a bird with extreme size dimorphism, the great bustard Otis tarda

Abstract

We explored sex‐biased mortality patterns in a species showing the most extreme sexual dimorphism among birds, the great bustard Otis tarda. Between 1991 and 2005 we studied juvenile and immature survival in a sample of 361 great bustards radio‐tagged at two different populations in Spain, Villafáfila and Madrid. Mortality decreased with age, from high rates during the first year (0.70), to 0.10 in the second year. Using the known‐fate model in program MARK we found that monthly survival increased throughout the first year. Offspring showing higher body mass at marking, i.e. those hatched earlier in the season and those with better body condition, survived in higher proportion. This was probably related to the earlier breeding dates of more experienced mothers, as well as to the observed decrease in food availability as the season progresses. Monthly survival estimates were higher in females than in males, which suggests that juvenile males are more vulnerable to reduced food availability and other factors due to their much faster growth rates. The proportion of non‐natural deaths increased with age, and was higher in the Madrid population, where illegal hunting and collision with powerlines showed a high incidence. The male‐biased mortality found in young birds in this study explains the female‐biased population sex ratios observed in great bustard populations. The different degrees of incidence of human‐induced causes of mortality found between both populations studied suggest that such differences may contribute to the variation observed in the adult sex ratio among populations.