Behavioural responses are associated with mortality and mobility after reintroduction in the endangered Yellow Cardinal

Abstract

Reintroductions are an important management tool for the conservation of threatened species. Personality or temperament of individuals is likely to influence survival in the reintroduction success of released individuals. We studied behavioural traits related to personality in the globally endangered Yellow Cardinal Gubernatrix cristata and analysed whether these traits were associated with the outcome of a reintroduction programme in Argentina. We found that exploratory behaviour and anti-predator responses were correlated in Yellow Cardinals. Individuals with higher activity levels in the presence of a predator had a lower risk of mortality following release. Also, less neophobic individuals with increased exploratory behaviour moved farther away from the release site. High activity levels in terms of a predatory response could outweigh the cost of higher exposure to predators and may be beneficial in decreasing predation probability. We recommend the enhancement of predatory responses before release, especially in individuals with inherent low mobility. Long-term monitoring of future releases will help understand how individual variation in behaviour influences reintroduction success in this species.