Territory and Mate Fidelity in a Migratory Population of the Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris

Abstract

Rufous Whistlers in eucalypt woodland near Armidale, north-eastern NSW, are migratory arriving in September and leaving the following April. All-purpose territories were defended by both males and females. Overwinter survival was high (90% for adult males, 71% for subadult [2-year-old] males and 84% for females). Both sexes showed strong territory fidelity, with 96.3% of adult males, 62.5% of sub-adult males and 81.6% of females returning to their territories of the previous year. Adult pairs (n = 24) reunited for almost all nesting attempts, both within (95.0%) and between (95.8%) breeding seasons. All three pairs in which the male was in his first breeding season divorced for their second breeding season. Breeding success in the previous year did not influence territory or mate fidelity.