Loss of flockmates weakens winter site fidelity in golden-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla).

ABSTRACT: Animal social interactions have an intrinsic spatial basis as many of these interactions occur in spatial proximity. This presents a dilemma when determining causality: Do individuals interact socially because they happen to share space, or do they share space because they are socially linked? We present a method that uses demographic turnover events as a natural experiment to investigate the links between social associations and space use in the context of interannual winter site fidelity in a migratory bird. We previously found that golden-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla) show consistent flocking relationships across years, and that familiarity between individuals influences the dynamics of social competition over resources. Using long-term data on winter social and spat

SUBMITTER: Madsen AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10410770 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature