Influence of mate and nest-site fidelity on a declining, urban avian population

As urbanization reduces species’ habitats and population sizes, managers need information on whether within-population processes, such as changes in mate and nest-site fidelity and dispersal distances, may be contributing to declines. We investigated whether mate fidelity, nest-site fidelity, or breeding dispersal distance changed over time in a population of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia), a short-lived, socially-monogamous species. During the 18-year period of the study, the population declined by 69% in urban Santa Clara County, California, USA--a region of rapid urbanization. We assessed whether these behaviors were influenced by key factors including age, breeding success in the previous year, and years with the same mate, and examined the relationship between mate and nest-site fidelity over time and annual reproductive success. To evaluate the relationship between mate and nest-site fidelity as well as overall mate and nest-site fidelity rates by sex, we used Chi-Square test..., , # Influence of mate and nest-site fidelity on a declining, urban avian population

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.vt4b8gv3j](10.5061/dryad.vt4b8gv3j)

## Description of the data and file structure

Our objective was to investigate mate and nest-site fidelity rates and breeding dispersal distances in relationship to reproductive success in an avian population declining in an urban setting.  Given that urban settings can disrupt mate selection and/or the longevity of nesting sites, we suspected that mate and nest-site fidelity rates might change significantly as the study population decreased.  Disruption of these behaviors could then contribute to the declining population through reduced annual reproductive success over time.  We analyzed mark-resight data for a population of resident western burrowing owls (*Athene cunicularia subspp. hypugaea*) over an 18-year period in Santa Clara County, California, an area of rapid urbanization [38].  

### Files and variables

#### File: BUOW\_Fidelit...,