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Population Dynamics of the Mountain Chickadee in Northern California

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Wildlife 2001: Populations

Abstract

Populations of the mountain chickadee (Parus gambeli) were studied for 23 years in Modoc County, northeastern California. A total of 225 artificial nestboxes were established in three areas and box occupancy has ranged from 20-90% (mean=53.7%) during the breeding season. All adults and nestlings were banded annually with about 50% of the adults and less than 1% of the nestlings being recovered each following year. Mean date of first-laid egg in spring differed by as much as 26 days and may be related to weather and consequent arthropod prey availability. Mean clutch size varied from 5.5 to 7.5, and mean number of fledglings per nest range from 1.5 to 7.5. Adult size, adult longevity, and mortality factors also have been documented.

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© 1992 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd

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Dahlsten, D.L., Copper, W.A., Rowney, D.L., Kleintjes, P.K. (1992). Population Dynamics of the Mountain Chickadee in Northern California. In: McCullough, D.R., Barrett, R.H. (eds) Wildlife 2001: Populations. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2868-1_38

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2868-1_38

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-85166-876-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-2868-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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