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.