Abstract
In some urban environments, human activities enhance resources for avian species, providing habitat that can support year-round occupancy. If both members of a mated pair stay on their breeding territories year-round, close proximity of pair members throughout the year may increase the potential for interactions outside the breeding season. Under these circumstances, avian species that would otherwise terminate their bonds following the breeding season may form perennial pair bonds. We examined behavior of mated pairs of adult Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) during the nonbreeding season in an urban environment to determine whether pairs retained their breeding territories outside the breeding season and if year-round maintenance of territories influenced the duration of pair bonds. Home ranges and core areas of pair members largely overlapped. Pair members remained close to the nest site they used during the previous breeding season, avoided neighboring conspecifics of the same sex, and selected areas within their home ranges that supported abundant avian prey and contained vertical vegetation structure. Pair members interacted throughout the nonbreeding season via acts of courtship and vocalizations, mainly in areas near the nest site. Perennial pair bonds in Cooper's Hawks in this urban environment are likely a response to high availability of prey throughout the year and facilitated largely by fidelity to and retention of all-purpose territories year-round. For Cooper's Hawks in this urban environment, maintaining pair bonds continuously may confer several advantages such as early initiation of breeding and higher reproductive success.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 458-470 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Raptor Research |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2015 |
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Keywords
- Accipiter
- Accipiter cooperii
- Cooper'sHawk
- habitat selection
- pair bonds
- social behavior
- space use; urban
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology
Cite this
Perennial Pair Bonds in an Accipiter : A Behavioral Response to an Urbanized Landscape? / Boggie, Matthew A.; Mannan, Robert W; Wissler, Craig A.
In: Journal of Raptor Research, Vol. 49, No. 4, 01.12.2015, p. 458-470.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Perennial Pair Bonds in an Accipiter
T2 - A Behavioral Response to an Urbanized Landscape?
AU - Boggie, Matthew A.
AU - Mannan, Robert W
AU - Wissler, Craig A
PY - 2015/12/1
Y1 - 2015/12/1
N2 - In some urban environments, human activities enhance resources for avian species, providing habitat that can support year-round occupancy. If both members of a mated pair stay on their breeding territories year-round, close proximity of pair members throughout the year may increase the potential for interactions outside the breeding season. Under these circumstances, avian species that would otherwise terminate their bonds following the breeding season may form perennial pair bonds. We examined behavior of mated pairs of adult Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) during the nonbreeding season in an urban environment to determine whether pairs retained their breeding territories outside the breeding season and if year-round maintenance of territories influenced the duration of pair bonds. Home ranges and core areas of pair members largely overlapped. Pair members remained close to the nest site they used during the previous breeding season, avoided neighboring conspecifics of the same sex, and selected areas within their home ranges that supported abundant avian prey and contained vertical vegetation structure. Pair members interacted throughout the nonbreeding season via acts of courtship and vocalizations, mainly in areas near the nest site. Perennial pair bonds in Cooper's Hawks in this urban environment are likely a response to high availability of prey throughout the year and facilitated largely by fidelity to and retention of all-purpose territories year-round. For Cooper's Hawks in this urban environment, maintaining pair bonds continuously may confer several advantages such as early initiation of breeding and higher reproductive success.
AB - In some urban environments, human activities enhance resources for avian species, providing habitat that can support year-round occupancy. If both members of a mated pair stay on their breeding territories year-round, close proximity of pair members throughout the year may increase the potential for interactions outside the breeding season. Under these circumstances, avian species that would otherwise terminate their bonds following the breeding season may form perennial pair bonds. We examined behavior of mated pairs of adult Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) during the nonbreeding season in an urban environment to determine whether pairs retained their breeding territories outside the breeding season and if year-round maintenance of territories influenced the duration of pair bonds. Home ranges and core areas of pair members largely overlapped. Pair members remained close to the nest site they used during the previous breeding season, avoided neighboring conspecifics of the same sex, and selected areas within their home ranges that supported abundant avian prey and contained vertical vegetation structure. Pair members interacted throughout the nonbreeding season via acts of courtship and vocalizations, mainly in areas near the nest site. Perennial pair bonds in Cooper's Hawks in this urban environment are likely a response to high availability of prey throughout the year and facilitated largely by fidelity to and retention of all-purpose territories year-round. For Cooper's Hawks in this urban environment, maintaining pair bonds continuously may confer several advantages such as early initiation of breeding and higher reproductive success.
KW - Accipiter
KW - Accipiter cooperii
KW - Cooper'sHawk
KW - habitat selection
KW - pair bonds
KW - social behavior
KW - space use; urban
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84948468799&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84948468799&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3356/rapt-49-04-458-470.1
DO - 10.3356/rapt-49-04-458-470.1
M3 - Article
VL - 49
SP - 458
EP - 470
JO - Journal of Raptor Research
JF - Journal of Raptor Research
SN - 0892-1016
IS - 4
ER -