Home range criteria based on temporal stability of areal occupation

Home range is often defined as the area normally occupied by an animal. Such definitions fail to identify temporal stability of areal occupation as the basis for determining presence of home range. Several ambiguities in the most widely quoted definition are noted and criteria are developed for specifying presence or absence of home range under various conditions of areal change. Application of the criteria requires considerable data, but such data are also required to increase the accuracy of home range measurement.