philopatry

noun

phil·o·pat·ry fə-ˈlä-pə-trē

: the tendency of an animal to remain in or return to the area of its birth

In many species of animals, individuals directly benefit from living in groups; philopatry (i.e., staying in the natal patch) can be selected for, particularly if local habitats are worth clinging to.—

Hanna Kokko and Andrés López-Sepulcre, Science, 11 Aug. 2006

Further, if the habitat is structured, say, a coral reef as opposed to the open sea, the animal will tend to occupy a home range or territory, or at least return to particular places for feeding and refuge (philopatry).—

Edward O. Wilson, Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, 1975

philopatric

ˌfi-lə-ˈpa-trik

adjective

But there is a minority of species in which males are typically philopatric (living their lives in the group into which they were born) and the females are migratory. —

Craig B. Stanford, The Hunting Apes, 1999

In some birds, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker and the Florida scrub jay, philopatric males assist in the rearing of their parents' additional broods. —

Robert E. Ricklefs and Gary L. Miller, Ecology, 2000