Survival of juvenile Greater Snow Geese immediately after banding

We studied survival immediately after banding of Greater Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens atlantica) captured in mass banding drives on Bylot Island (Nunavut, Canada) during the late brood-rearing period. Shortly after release, the banding sites and the surrounding areas were checked for dead banded birds. Logistic regression was used to model post-banding survival in relation to mass and age at banding, size of catch, banding year, and their interactions. Between 1993 and 1996, 6577 adults and 6736 juveniles were banded, of which 6 adults and 192 juveniles (goslings) were found dead. Apparent survival immediately after banding was high for juveniles (0.971 +/- 0.002) and close to 1.00 for adults. The post-banding survival of juveniles decreased with catch size and increased with mass at banding, although the magnitude of the latter effect varied among years. Age at banding also affected survival in interaction with banding year and catch size. Post-banding survival was lowest for the youngest goslings captured in the largest catches in some years. Our analysis suggests that banding has a negligible effect on post-banding survival of juvenile snow geese when catch size does not exceed 600 individuals and goslings are heavier than 1400 g or older than 34 d, and has virtually no effect on adults.