Annual survival rates of adult male Corsican Nuthatches Sitta whiteheadi

Abstract

The endemic Corsican Nuthatch Sitta whiteheadi population is small and currently restricted to mountain forests of Corsican Pine Pinus nigra laricio. An estimate of annual survival rate is an important parameter to allow evaluation of extinction risk. Adult Corsican Nuthatches were colour‐ringed and resighted on territory in the Ascu Valley, central Corsica, from 1998 to 2005. Mark–recapture methods were used to estimate the annual apparent survival rate of male Corsican Nuthatches as 0.616 (95% CI 0.524–0.700), the best model being independent of time. The longest lifespan recorded for any individual was five years and seven months. During the study, there was no strong evidence that annual survival was affected by the variation in a key food source, Corsican Pine seeds. © 2006 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.