Survival and Recruitment Dynamics of Black-Legged (original) (raw)

MCKNIGHT, A., BLOMBERG, E.J., IRONS, D.B., LOFTIN, C.S. & MCKINNEY, S.T. 2019. Survival and recruitment dynamics of Blacklegged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla at an Alaskan colony. Marine Ornithology 47: 209–222. Most seabirds breed colonially and exhibit considerable site fidelity over the course of their long lifespans. Initial colony selection can therefore have substantial fitness consequences, but factors contributing to recruitment into colonies and subsequent fidelity remain unclear. We used multi-state capture-recapture models to test several hypotheses related to apparent fledgling survival, probability of recruitment to natal colonies, and apparent post-recruitment survival in Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla, using data from individuals banded as chicks and subsequently resighted at a colony in south-central Alaska over a 20-year period. Competitive models suggested that apparent fledgling survival declined throughout our study. This decline was likely driven by intr...