1. Habitat imprinting is the phenomenon where exposure to cues in the natal
habitat increases the probability of choosing a habitat with similar cues later
in life. It is considered a key behavioural mechanism that decreases the costs
associated with habitat selection. The similarity of breeding to natal habitats
can be especially beneficial when choosing the first breeding site and when the
choice has long-term consequences due to high site fidelity. Habitat imprinting
in breeding habitat selection has rarely been documented in wild animals living
in unmanipulated environments and is challenging to study in long-lived species
with delayed maturity.
2. We used a combination of genetic and visual identification to identify 354 white-
tailed eagles Haliaeetus albicilla hatched between 1991 and 2015 that were
subsequently documented breeding between 2001 and 2023 along the Baltic Sea
coast or in the inland environments.
3. We examined (a) the similarity of natal and breeding habitats and (b) the effects
of natal dispersal distance on this similarity. Furthermore, (c) we were interested
in breeding habitat selection and tested whether eagles showed a preference for
natal-like habitats among suitable territories that were at the time still unoccupied.
4. We found that breeding habitats were similar to natal habitats, independent
of natal dispersal distance. Eagles were also more likely to choose a natal-like
breeding site among available alternative sites. These results indicate that habitat
imprinting is a possible driving mechanism in the habitat selection of long-lived
animals with delayed maturity and has important implications for conservation
actions such as eagle reintroduction programmes.