Habitat use and population dynamics of the Azure-Winged Magpie ...

3.3.5 Pair-bond retentions
Due to the short period of data collection (four years) and high number of pairings involving
unidentified mates (Table 3.11), I did not attempt to analyse pair-bond retention. However, I did
collect the following observations on pair-bonds.
Out of the 29 pairs (that had at least one banded individual) known to have bred between 2007
and 2010, 22 pairs had at least one pair member that attempted breeding in more than one season
(Table 3.11). Of these 22 pairs with recurring breeders, we can only tell for certain that two pairs
(7785309/7542752 and7785310/7785029) stayed together for two breeding seasons (2008 and
2009). Females from both of these pairs were successful in breeding and raising chicks in 2008,
but only 7785310 was successful in 2009. Neither female was seen in 2010.
Female 7785308 had a different mate for each of the 2007, 2008 and 2010 breeding seasons
(Table 3.11). The mate from 2007 was present in 2008, indicating a mate replacement that wasn’t
due to the death of the male. This mate swap occurred despite the fact that 7785308 bred
successfully in 2007 (but not in 2008). Neither mate from 2007 nor 2008 was seen in 2010 (Table
3.11).
Female 7719502 changed mates in 2008, but because her mate in both 2008 and 2009 was
unbanded, a mate change can neither be confirmed nor ruled out. Her 2007 mate was present in
2008 but he paired with another female (Table 3.11). 7719502 bred successfully in 2007 and
2008, but died in 2009 whilst incubating.
7785303 and 7785028 both changed mates in 2009 (Table 3.11). They bred successfully in 2008.
As 7785029 was only banded in 2008, we are unable to tell if he was the unbanded male of 2007
and mate of 7785310 that year.
Out of the six identified females that we knew had bred successfully for more than one season
between 2007 and 2010, only two were known to maintain their mates from the previous year
(Table 3.12). There were two cases of ‘divorce’ between 2007 and 2008 (both 7719502 and
7785308 had new mates). Additionally, between 2008 and 2009 or 2010 two females (7785028
and 7785308) obtained new mates –their previous mates were not sighted. There was one
unknown case because the female (7719502) had an unknown mate in both 2009 and 2008; and
one case (7785303) of either ‘divorce’ or ‘widowed’ occurred between 2008 and 2009 because
the 2008 mate was unbanded and so I was unable to tell if it was present in 2009 (Table 3.11).
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