Size of territories and home ranges of male Western Yellow-breasted Chats (Icteria virens auricollis) in British Columbia

Abstract

During 2005 and 2006, radio-transmitters were fitted to a total of 11 male Western Yellow-breasted Chats, Icteria virens auricollis, in the southern Okanagan River valley, British Columbia, to compare the area used, as detected by radio-telemetry and as defined by mapped observations of breeding males singing and perching. Data were only collected for 5 males. For 2005 and 2006, the 95% kernel density estimation (KDE) revealed that mean area used by male Western Yellow-breasted Chats, as determined by radio-tracking (n = 5), was 1.16 ha, whereas the mean area as defined by observations of breeding males singing and perching was 0.62 ha (no statistical difference). Our hypothesis that the area determined by radio-tracking would be significantly larger than the area defined by observations of males singing and perching was rejected, but the area determined by radio-tracking was almost twice the area defined by observations of breeding males singing and perching.