Natal dispersal of capercaillie Tetrao urogallus in northeast Scotland

We radio-tagged and tracked 22 hen and three cock capercaillie Tetrao urogallus in northeast Scotland during 1989-1995. Natal dispersal distances of 13 firstyear hens ranged within 1-30 km (median: 11 km). There were two main periods of dispersal, autumn and spring, with much individual variation. Some hens dispersed in autumn, some in spring, some in autumn and again in spring, and some moved little. Of 10 hens that nested, seven did so in their first year, two not until their second and one in her third year. After their first year, hens were quite sedentary, but some showed increased movement in April as they attended leks. Capercaillie in Scotland live in fragmented woodlands. How far they disperse is an important consideration when managing woods for their benefit.