Banding Studies of Caspian Terns in Southern California
Journal
North American Bird Bander
Volume
31
Issue
1
Year
2006
Pages
10-17
Online Text
ABSTRACT
Caspian Terns currently breed at three anthropocentric sites in southern California. Observations of banded birds and band recoveries from 1986 to 2006 indicate low nesting colony philopatry and substantial inter-colony movements from year to year. Several terns banded as chicks dispersed northward to colonies in San Francisco Bay and the Columbia River. Only two immigrant individuals were identified in the southern California colonies. The oldest recovery was of an 18-year-old individual. Most of the local breeding population migrates and appears to winter in coastal western Mexico. These data closely agree with a recent regional analysis of Pacific coast colonies.
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