Staging site fidelity of Greenland White-fronted GeeseAnser albifrons flavirostrisin Iceland

Capsule Based upon resighting histories of marked individuals, a high level of site loyalty was found for Greenland White-fronted Geese staging in Icelandic stopover areas in spring and autumn. Aims To determine levels of within- and between-season staging site fidelity, to assess whether offspring adopt the staging areas of their parents and to determine relationships between Icelandic staging areas and winter provenance of individuals. Methods Sequential resighting histories and recoveries (2658 observations) of 415 different individually marked geese were analysed from the period 1986–99. Results In spring, > 90% of goslings associated with parents and siblings and all goslings were subsequently seen