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Association of Sex, Fledging Date, and Sibling Relationships with Post-Fledging Movements of Burrowing Owls in a Nonmigratory Population in the Imperial Valley, California

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  • Natal dispersal is an important driver of population and colonization dynamics, yet factors that affect timing and distance of post-fledging movements are poorly understood. We studied post-fledging movements of 34 (12 male and 22 female) juvenile Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) between June 2002 and April 2003, in a nonmigratory population in the Imperial Valley, California. We found high variation in movement patterns among individuals. Juvenile Burrowing Owls left their nest throughout the year, with two females (6%) remaining within 100 m of their natal burrow until the beginning of the following year’s breeding season. Juvenile Burrowing Owls moved up to 11.7 km (males: 397 ± 124 m; females 1762 ± 630 m) between emergence from the nest to the following breeding season. Those that fledged early in the season remained closer to their nests for a longer period than those that fledged later in the season. Female Burrowing Owls remained ≤ 100 m from their natal nests for a longer duration than males. Members of male–female, but not male–male, sibling pairs were more likely to be within 100 m of one another than members of female–female sibling pairs. After members of sibling pairs were > 100 m apart, distance between members of sibling pairs was related only to time since fledging. Our study, conducted in a highly simplified agricultural environment, provides evidence that sex, fledging date, and sibling relationships can be responsible for the high individual variation in post-fledging movements of Burrowing Owls that has often been attributed to environmental variation.
  • Keywords: Post-fledging movements, Athene cunicularia, Burrowing Owl, California, Sibling behavior, Natal dispersal, Imperial Valley
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  • Catlin, D. H., & Rosenberg, D. K. (2014). Association of Sex, Fledging Date, and Sibling Relationships with Post-Fledging Movements of Burrowing Owls in a Nonmigratory Population in the Imperial Valley, California. Journal of Raptor Research, 48(2), 106-117. doi:10.3356/JRR-12-24.1
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  • 48
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  • 2
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  • We thank the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cooperative Research Units (Multi-state Grant Opportunity), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Bureau of Land Management (Bakersfield Field Office), and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDF&G) for funding.
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