SURVIVAL, DISPERSAL, AND SITE FIDELITY OF WILD FEMALE RING-NECKED PHEASANTS FOLLOWING TRANSLOCATION

Criteria that evaluate translocations of wild ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) into unoccupied habitats are needed. Consequently, we conducted an 18-month telemetry project (1988-89) to evaluate survival rates, site fidelity, and reproductive dispersal of 122 wild ring-necked hen pheasants translocated to a managed area in central Missouri. Hen survival from release (early February) to the peak of nesting (10 June) was 26% and 42% in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Spring-autumn and autumn-spring hen survival was 49% and 86%, respectively. Mammalian and avian predators were the major agents of known hen mortality, causing approximately 72% of total losses. Translocated hens displayed fidelity to the managed target area as all birds remained within 3 km of the release site, with 95% of the locations within 1.6 km of the release site. Mean reproductive dispersal from release site to nesting site was 1,076 m. Survival and movement variables of translocated pheasants were similar to the survival and movements of established pheasant populations, and may be useful as criteria for comparison and evaluation of future translocation efforts.