부산대학교 도서관

Between 1993 and 1998, winter-site fidelity of passerines was studied using the banding and recapture method. The study was performed on a riverbed of Ano River, Mie, central Japan (34°45′35″N, 136°27′24″E; altitude, 16 m) during five winters. The studied species were the Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala), Bush Warbler (Cettia diphone), Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus), Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica), Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides), and Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus). Return recapture rate (RR) is the rate of birds recaptured among newly captured and return recaptured birds in later winters. RR was calculated on the basis of the data of the five winter seasons. RRs of the Bush Warbler and Black-faced Bunting were high (0.37 and 0.26, respectively), while those of the other four species were remarkably low (between 0.14 and 0.07). RR of the Bush Warbler was significantly higher than those of the Meadow and Rustic Buntings, Japanese White-eye, and Long-tailed Tit. RR of the Black-faced Bunting was significantly higher than those of the Japanese White-eye and Rustic Bunting. The study site was further divided into three sub-sites, and return to the same sub-sites was analyzed. The Black-faced Bunting and Bush Warbler showed high exact fidelity to return to the same sub-sites. In contrast, fidelity of the Rustic Bunting was low. The Black-faced Bunting and Bush Warbler stay under thickets in winter, while the Rustic Bunting and Meadow Bunting live in open grasslands and cultivated fields in flocks. The Long-tailed Tit and Japanese White-eye visit tree canopies in flocks and search for food in winter. The difference in return fidelity to the wintering site was discussed with respect to the behavior of these birds in winter.