Home Range and Habitat Use of a Male Copper Pheasant Syrmaticus soemmerringii in a Suburb in Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

The Copper Pheasant Syrmaticus soemmerringii is endemic to Japan, but nothing is known of its home range. We captured a male Copper Pheasant from the Tama Forest Science Garden in a suburb in Tokyo, Japan, and radio-tracked the bird from June 2003 to May 2004. Vegetation in the study area comprised a cherry arboretum, a mature cedar and cypress plantation, secondary evergreen broadleaved forest, mixed forest with many broadleaved trees invading the coniferous plantation area, and an arboretum planted with various tree species for exhibition. The home range, which was calculated using the minimum convex polygon method based on 138–345 points seasonally, was smaller during summer and autumn (5.76 and 5.30 ha, respectively) than that during winter and spring (12.41 and 8.76 ha, respectively). The vegetation composition within the home range was significantly different from that of tracked points throughout the year. The bird spent significantly more time in the mixed forest area within its home range throughout the year, and also exhibited a significant preference for the secondary broadleaved forest area throughout the year, except during autumn. However, the proportion tracked points within the cherry arboretum was significantly less than that within the entire home range throughout the year. The tracked male moved around with one female from September 2003 to March 2004, except during February. Two females and the tracked male moved together throughout the day during February 2004.