Natal Dispersal and Recruitment of Juvenile White-Tailed Ptarmigan in Colorado

Dispersal may affect survival and recruitment of yearlings into the breeding population and, thus, be a factor regulating population density. Therefore, we documented natal dispersal and recruitment of white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus) from 2 populations in northcentral Colorado between 1966 and 1990. Recoveries and returns of 1,437 birds banded as juveniles totaled 326 (22.7%); 258 (79.1%) were males and 68 (20.9%) were females. We calculated natal dispersal distances of 126 males and 40 females banded prior to brood breakup (15 Sep) and relocated during subsequent breeding seasons