Natal and breeding dispersal patterns in a patchy population of the western yellow wagtail.

Abstract

Dispersal is an important life history trait with significant consequences for spatially structured populations, as the exchange of individuals between habitat patches is crucial for maintaining metapopulation connectivity. In this study, we used a long-term data set (2005-2023) to describe dispersal patterns in a patchy population of the Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava within a large (approximately 1,300 km²) study area in the boreal zone of European Russia. We quantified dispersal distances for birds that dispersed outside their natal or breeding habitat patches and applied a multistate capture-recapture approach to estimate natal and breeding dispersal probabilities. Of 395 adult wagtails and 1,610 nestlings ringed, 3% of birds ringed as adults and 3% of birds ringed as nestlings were resighted outside their natal or breeding patches. The probability of natal dispersal (0.29 ± 0.05) was significantly higher than the probability of breeding dispersal (0.05 ± 0.01). The median natal dispersal distances (2.8 km for males, 3.9 km for females) were the same as the median breeding dispersal distances (2.7 km for males, 3.9 km for females). We did not find a significant effect of the fledging date on either the natal dispersal distance or the natal dispersal probability. Similarly, we did not find a significant effect of the previous reproductive success on either the breeding dispersal distance or the breeding dispersal probability. Our results indicate that strong breeding site fidelity and short-distance natal dispersal are the dominant dispersal strategies in a patchy population of the western yellow wagtail.