Natal dispersal of whooping cranes in the reintroduced eastern migratory population

Natal dispersal is a key demographic process for evaluating population rate of change, especially for long-lived, highly mobile species. This process is largely unknown for reintroduced populations of endangered avian species. We evaluated natal dispersal distances (NDD) for male and female Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) introduced into two locations in central Wisconsin (Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, or NNWR, and the Eastern Rectangle, or ER) using a series of demographic, spatial, and life history related covariates. Data were analyzed using Gamma Regression models with a log-link function and compared using Akaike Information Criterion corrected for small sample sizes (AICc). Whooping Cranes released in the ER dispersed 261% further than those released into NNWR, dispersal distance increased 4% for each additional nesting pair, decreased about 24% for males as compared to females, increased for 21% for inexperienced pairs, and decreased 3% for each additional year of age. Natal...