The following schedule is from the 72nd Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies which was held October 21-24, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama.
AUTHORS: Lindsay G. Carlson, Douglas C. Osborne – University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
ABSTRACT: In contrast to breeding site philopatry, winter philopatry has not been extensively studied in waterfowl. The Mississippi Alluvial Valley is an important wintering area for midcontinent mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), however little is known about rates of philopatry and influencing factors. Wintering philopatry has an important biological effect on the genetic structure of a population and individual survival rates, thus warranting additional research. We obtained 7 decades of banding and encounter records for mallards banded in Arkansas to assess changes in winter distribution, winter homing rates, and winter philopatry for mallards wintering in Arkansas. We find no evidence to support claims of a northerly shifting in winter distribution of Arkansas banded mallards, although timing of migration may have changed. Rates of winter philopatry are appear higher for Arkansas banded mallards relative to mallards banded in other states in the Mississippi Flyway during winter. Lastly, mallards demonstrate large annual variation in homing rates (59% ±10%) from 1955-2017, although factors influencing annual variation are currently untested. Gaining a better understanding of the importance of winter philopatry may help structure management policies, inform decisions on land use changes, and predict how populations may be affected by habitat alterations due to climate change.
