Between-year breeding dispersal has not been previously documented in White-headed Woodpeckers (Picoides albolarvatus). Therefore, resightings of color-banded adults on previous years' breeding territories have been considered a means of estimating annual adult survival. From 2013 to 2015, I observed 2 cases of between-year breeding dispersal by adult color-banded White-headed Woodpeckers in central Washington. Mean dispersal distance was 6.9 km, and both adults were successful in fledging young in their new territories. Without extensive searches outside of previous years' territories, such dispersal events could have been classified as mortalities leading to annual survival estimates that were biased low.
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

Northwestern Naturalist
Vol. 97 • No. 3
Winter 2016
Vol. 97 • No. 3
Winter 2016
breeding dispersal
color band
mark-resight
Picoides albolarvatus
survivorship
white-headed woodpecker