Survival estimates of resident and migratory landbirds banded at a coastal managed Southeast Asian wetland

Abstract

Survival data on Asian and other tropical landbirds is scant and most often derived from studies of birds in forest habitats. Open-country and human-modified habitats are less well studied, even though they may support bird species of conservation concern. We estimated apparent survival probability using open population capture-recapture (Cormack-Jolly-Seber) models for 9 relatively common species of birds over a 20 year period in a managed wetland at His Majesty the King's Royally Initiated Laem Phak Bia Environmental Research and Development Project, Phetchaburi, Thailand. These included 1 kingfisher and 8 passeriforms, 3 of which are long-distance migrants. Recapture probabilities for the studied species were low (0.03-0.20) and mean annual survival probabilities for all lay within the range 0.30-0.73. The longest recorded interval between initial capture and recapture was 11 years for 2 resident species, Malaysian Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica) and Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius). Banding data should be used more widely to study the life-history and population parameters of a wider range of species, particularly those for which human-modified landscapes constitute a major proportion of their available habitat, and which may suffer stress from intensification of land use.