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Juvenile 'Ae'o Survival and Habitat Use

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'A'eo are endangered in the Hawaiian Islands, and their success is negatively affected by invasive predators and continued habitat loss. Juvenile 'a'eo, particularly those 0 - 10 days old are most vulnerable to death due to predation or exposure (starvation, exhaustion, contamination, abandonment, etc). This project was created to assess the survival of 'a'eo juveniles in a dynamic wetland system at the Marine Corps Base Hawai'i - Kāne'ohe Bay, and to determine the habitat characteristics, if any, that promote successful reproduction. 'A'eo nests will be monitored to determine hatching success, and juveniles captured at 7 - 10 days old and outfitted with individualized color bands and a radio transmitter. Juveniles will be tracked until fledging to determine fate and habitat use. Preliminary results indicate that many juveniles do not survive to 10 days old, and those that fledge typically have home ranges of 0.94 ± 0.39 acres that are in close proximity to the original nest site. Therefore, site managers of areas with nesting 'a'eo should employ predator control methods to reduce predator pressure from invasive mammalian predators, and preserve or create habitat that reduces the risk of exposure. 

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