Home ranges and habitat vegetation characters in breeding season of Narcissus Flycatcher and Yellow-rumped Flycatcher

Abstract

The home ranges of the Narcissus Flycatcher (Ficedula narcissina elisae) and the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher (F. zanthopygia) are measured by radio telemetry in a subalpine forest near Beijing, China. The home range is calculated by 100% Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP), and the area varies from 2,000 to 5,000 m². The majority of flycatchers can be found in the bottom of valleys and the underside of mountains. It is fairly rare for both Flycatcher species to leave their nests more than 70 m. Individuals of the species in pair-banding and nest-detecting periods have larger home ranges than those in incubation and rearing periods. The levels of canopy coverage in the home ranges of Narcissus Flycatchers are significantly higher than that of Yellow-rumped Flycatchers. There are also more tall trees and stumps in the home ranges of Narcissus Flycatchers than in that of Yellow-rumped Flycatchers. The dominant tree species in the home ranges of Narcissus Flycatchers is Dahurian Birch (Betula dahurica), whereas Manchurian Walnut (Juglans mandshurica) is the dominant tree species in the home ranges of Yellow-rumped Flycatchers.