Settlement patterns, foraging behavior, and reproductive success of ospreys along a heterogeneous riverine corridor

Abstract

In 1998 and 1999, we determined the spatial distribution, foraging behavior, and reproductive success of ospreys ( Pandion haliaetus (L., 1758)) nesting along the upper Missouri River, Montana. We combined our data with that collected in the same area in 1981–1982 and 1990–1991 to investigate factors influencing settlement patterns. The study area was composed of four distinct habitats, three reservoirs and one free-flowing river section. Although number of occupied nests on each habitat increased from 1981–1982 to 1998–1999, the greatest percentage increases in nest density occurred on habitats previously hypothesized to contain the least prey. Osprey reproductive success was positively related to foraging rates, which differed across habitats, being highest on reservoirs and lowest on the free-flowing river. However, reproductive success was adequate for replacement on each habitat. Most fish consumed by ospreys on each habitat were suckers (Catostomidae), followed by salmonids and cyprinids. Fish density, determined from gill netting, was highest on the largest and shallowest reservoir. Over two decades, ospreys shifted their relative spatial use of the upper Missouri River such that reservoirs were occupied first and the free-flowing river section was occupied last. The degree to which presence of conspecifics, distribution of nest trees and prey, and dispersal affected settlement patterns probably varied by spatial scale.