Effects of Lead Exposure, Flock Behavior, and Management Actions on the Survival of California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus)

EcoHealth
Victoria J BakkerMyra E Finkelstein

Abstract

Translocation is an increasingly important tool for managing endangered species, but factors influencing the survival of translocated individuals are not well understood. Here we examine intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of survival for critically endangered California condors (Gymnogyps californianus) whose wild population recovery is reliant upon releases of captively bred stock. We used known fate models and information-theoretic methods to compare the ability of hypothesized covariates, most of which serve as proxies for lead exposure risk, to predict survival rates of condors in California. Our best supported model included the following predictors of survival: age of the recovery program, precipitation, proportion of days observed feeding on proffered carcasses, maximum blood lead concentration over the preceding 18 months, and time since release. We found that as flocks have increased in size and age, condors are increasingly likely to range more widely and less likely to be observed feeding on proffered food, and these "wilder" behaviors were associated with lower survival. After accounting for these behaviors, we found a positive survival trend, which we attribute to ongoing improvements in management. Our findings illus...Continue Reading

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Aug 8, 2015·Journal of Wildlife Diseases·Myra E FinkelsteinDonald R Smith

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Citations

Apr 18, 2020·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Benjamin L Allen, Jordan O Hampton
Jan 12, 2020·General and Comparative Endocrinology·Rachel G FeltonChristopher W Tubbs
May 30, 2021·The Science of the Total Environment·Jordan O HamptonAndrew J Bengsen

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