Habitat imprinting in breeding territory selection of a long‐lived bird of prey

Abstract

<p><span>1.</span><span> </span><span>Habitat imprinting is the phenomenon where exposure to cues in the natal</span><br><span>habitat increases the probability of choosing a habitat with similar cues later</span><br><span>in life. It is considered a key behavioural mechanism that decreases the costs</span><br><span>associated with habitat selection. The similarity of breeding to natal habitats</span><br><span>can be especially beneficial when choosing the first breeding site and when the</span><br><span>choice has long-</span><span>term consequences due to high site fidelity. Habitat imprinting</span><br><span>in breeding habitat selection has rarely been documented in wild animals living</span><br><span>in unmanipulated environments and is challenging to study in long-</span><span>lived species</span><br><span>with delayed maturity.</span><br><span>2.</span><span> </span><span>We used a combination of genetic and visual identification to identify 354 white-</span><br><span>tailed eagles</span><span> </span><span>Haliaeetus albicilla</span><span> </span><span>hatched between 1991 and 2015 that were</span><br><span>subsequently documented breeding between 2001 and 2023 along the Baltic Sea</span><br><span>coast or in the inland environments.</span><br><span>3.</span><span> </span><span>We examined (a) the similarity of natal and breeding habitats and (b) the effects</span><br><span>of natal dispersal distance on this similarity. Furthermore, (c) we were interested</span><br><span>in breeding habitat selection and tested whether eagles showed a preference for</span><br><span>natal-</span><span>like habitats among suitable territories that were at the time still unoccupied.</span><br><span>4.</span><span> </span><span>We found that breeding habitats were similar to natal habitats, independent</span><br><span>of natal dispersal distance. Eagles were also more likely to choose a natal-</span><span>like</span><br><span>breeding site among available alternative sites. These results indicate that habitat</span><br><span>imprinting is a possible driving mechanism in the habitat selection of long-</span><span>lived</span><br><span>animals with delayed maturity and has important implications for conservation</span><br><span>actions such as eagle reintroduction programmes.</span><br></p>