Data for: Reintroduced Oriental stork bayesian hierarchical model data

Long-lived territorial bird populations often consist of a few territorial
breeding adults and many non-breeding individuals. Some populations are
threatened by anthropogenic activities, because of human conflicts for
high-quality breeding habitat. Therefore, habitat restoration projects
have been widely implemented to improve avian population status. In
conjunction with habitat restoration, conservation translocations have
been increasingly implemented. Adequate non-breeder survival can be a key
factor in the success of these attempts because non-breeding birds may
represent reservoirs for the replacement of breeders. The maintenance of
breeding pair numbers is also influenced by the transition rate of
non-breeders to breeders. The reintroduction of Oriental stork (Ciconia
boyciana), a long-lived, territorial, endangered species, was initiated in
Japan in 2005 using captive birds in hopes of increasing the population’s
use of restored habitat. Our objective of this study was to elucidate the
factors determining reintroduced stork survival and recruitment to the
breeding populations. We estimated the survival rate and breeding
participation rate by sex, age, generation, wild-born or not, haplotypes,
and breeding status in storks reintroduced during 2005–2022 using Bayesian
hierarchical models. There was no significant difference in survival rate
between non-breeders and breeders. However, the survival rate was lower in
wild-born birds than released birds, which may be related to the
longer-distance natal dispersal of new generations. Accelerated habitat
restoration around breeding areas and preventive measures for collision
with human-built structures should be implemented for the sustained growth
of reintroduced populations. A low survival rate was also detected for a
specific mtDNA haplotype that accounts for the majority of the
reintroduced population. This phenomenon might be explained by
mtDNA-encoded mutations. Moreover, captive breeding and release history
might contribute to an increase in the proportion of this haplotype in the
wild.