Interannual colony exchange among breeding Eastern Brown Pelicans

Colonial seabirds often display high rates of interannual site fidelity to breeding locations, especially as adults. Species using more nearshore or coastal systems, however, may display comparatively less fidelity than highly pelagic species. We used long-term GPS tracking data to assess the freque...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of field ornithology Vol. 93; no. 1; p. 5
Main Authors Wilkinson, Bradley P., Jodice, Patrick G. R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Resilience Alliance 01.01.2022
Subjects
colony fidelity
metapopulation
seabird
south atlantic bight
tracking
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Summary:Colonial seabirds often display high rates of interannual site fidelity to breeding locations, especially as adults. Species using more nearshore or coastal systems, however, may display comparatively less fidelity than highly pelagic species. We used long-term GPS tracking data to assess the frequency of interannual colony switching in Eastern Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis) in the South Atlantic Bight, a species about which adult site fidelity is poorly understood. By using recursive behavioral patterns to identify nest locations, we report 36% of reproductive attempts occurred at colonies that were different from the colony used in a prior year. Colony switching was especially prevalent in female pelicans, and distances between switched colonies ranged from 56 to 592 km. We suggest that long-term telemetry may be a reliable tool for assessing interannual breeding site fidelity, especially when compared to more traditional band resighting efforts.
ISSN:1557-9263
DOI:10.5751/JFO-00074-930105