Home-range size of an Andean bird: assessing the role of physical condition

Because space-use patterns are a key aspect of the ecology and distribution of species, identifying factors associated with variation in size of territories and home ranges has been central to studies on population ecology. Space use might vary in response to extrinsic factors like habitat quality and to intrinsic factors like physical condition and individual behavior (aggressiveness). However, the role of these factors has been poorly documented in the tropics, particularly in high-elevation bird species. We report the home-range size of a Neotropical Andean bird, the Grey-browed Brush finch (Arremon assimilis), and evaluate the role of physical condition in explaining variation in home-range size among individuals. We performed spot mapping to estimate the home ranges of 14 territorial males in Bogotá, Colombia, using minimum convex polygons (MCP) and 95% kernel density estimators (KDE). The mean home-range size estimated for the 100% MCP was 0.522 ± 0.305 ha (range = 0.15-1.18 ha), ...