Phenotypic and environmental correlates of natal dispersal in a long-lived territorial vulture.

ABSTRACT: Natal dispersal, the movement between the birth and the first breeding site, has been rarely studied in long-lived territorial birds with a long-lasting pre-breeding stage. Here we benefited from the long-term monitoring programs of six populations of Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) from Spain and France to study how the rearing environment determines dispersal. For 124 vultures, we recorded a median dispersal distance of 48 km (range 0-656 km). Linear models were used to assess the effect of population and individual traits on dispersal distance at two spatial scales. Dispersal distances were inversely related to vulture density in the natal population, suggesting that birds perceive the abundance of conspecifics as a signal of habitat quality. This was particularly true for dec

SUBMITTER: Serrano D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7970891 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature