Post-fledging movements of juvenile reed warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus and sedge warblers Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

Abstract

Post-fledging movements were studied by comparing recapture rates between three different ringing sites in S central Sweden. The sites form a triangle with Kvismaren in the west, Esson in the north and Segersjo in the east. Results indicate that there is a higher recapture rate of birds between Segersjo and Kvismaren, which are connected by a canal, than between Esson and Kvismaren. Both reed and sedge warblers feed primarily in reed beds or similar habitaats near water. This suggests that the post-fledging dispersal is an exploratory movement within the birds' main habitat rather than longer flights in random directions. -from Authors