
Limited dispersal by Nazca boobies Sula granti
Author(s) -
P. Huyvaert Kathryn,
J. Anderson David
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of avian biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.022
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1600-048X
pISSN - 0908-8857
DOI - 10.1111/j.0908-8857.2004.03131.x
Subject(s) - biological dispersal , seabird , biology , pelagic zone , ecology , zoology , demography , predation , population , sociology
We documented natal and breeding dispersal at several spatial scales by Galápagos Nazca boobies Sula granti , a wide‐ranging pelagic seabird. We found exceptionally low degrees of both types of dispersal despite these birds’ vagility. Median natal dispersal distances were 26 m and 105 m for males and females, respectively. Median breeding dispersal distances for both sexes were 0 m. No natal or breeding dispersals occurred from our study site at Punta Cevallos, Isla Española to six other colonies in the Galápagos, but we did document four long‐distance natal dispersals from Punta Cevallos to islands near the South American coast. Recaptures and dead recoveries of ringed birds showed long distance non‐breeding movements to the Central American coast and elsewhere in the eastern Pacific, contrasting with the very limited dispersal to breeding sites.