Habitat use and home range of the Laysan Teal on Laysan Island, Hawaii

Abstract

The 24-hour habitat use and home range of the Laysan Teal (Anas laysanensis), an endemic dabbling duck in Hawaii, was studied using radio telemetry during 1998-2000. Radios were retained for a mean of 40 days (0-123 d; 73 adult birds radio-tagged). Comparisons of daily habitat use were made for birds in the morning, day, evening, and night. Most birds showed strong evidence of selective habitat use. Adults preferred the terrestrial vegetation (88%), and avoided the lake and wetlands during the day. At night, 63% of the birds selected the lake and wetlands. Nocturnal habitat use differed significantly between the non-breeding and breeding seasons, while the lake and wetland habitats were used more frequently during the non-breeding season. Most individuals showed strong site fidelity during the study, but habitat selection varied between individuals. Mean home range size was 9.78 ha (SE ± 2.6) using the fixed kernel estimator (95% kernel; 15 birds, each with >25 locations). The average minimum convex polygon size was 24 ha (SE ± 5.6). The mean distance traveled between tracking locations was 178 m (SE ± 30-5), with travel distances between points ranging up to 1,649 m. Tracking duration varied from 31-121 days per bird (mean tracking duration 75 days).