Philopatry and natal dispersal of the Western snowy plover

Conservation of threatened species requires knowledge of individual movements within and among spatially distinct subpopulations. We quantified philopatry, local dispersal, and number of breeding sites used by 62 Western Snowy Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) that were marked as chicks and returned to a breeding area in coastal northern California. Slightly more males (17%) than females (12%) returned to the study area. Natal dispersal (distance between natal nest and first nest as a yearling) was similar for males and females, and greater than reported for other shorebirds. Philopatric plovers dispersed shorter distances between successive nests within a breeding season compared to the distance between successive nests from one year to the next. Most males and females that bred locally wintered in the study area. Those that wintered locally tended to be from later clutches compared to the few migrants that hatched earlier in the season. The population of Snowy Plovers in coastal northern California is linked by dispersal with other breeding plovers along the Pacific coast. Dispersal estimates indicate that wide-ranging movements are typical of Snowy Plovers throughout their range, which should facilitate recolonization of habitats.