Changes in spring arrival dates and temperature sensitivity of migratory birds over two centuries

Abstract Protandry, or the arrival of males prior to females to the breeding grounds is a widespread phenomenon in migratory birds though rarely examined in related species in which its manifestation can vary. European Stonechat and Whinchat are such a pair studied with use of individual marking in North-Eastern Ukraine in 1993–2008. An apparent protandry was found in Whinchat but not in European Stonechat. The difference between the arrival dates of male and female Whinchats (6 days) was significant. The mean time span between territory establishment by a male and subsequent pair formation was 10.6 days. By contrast, 38% of the first records of European Stonechats in spring were those of already paired birds and the difference between arrival dates of both sexes was non-significant. The proximate cause of protandry in Whinchat and its’ absence in European Stonechat seems to be the differences (or the lack thereof) in the onset of spring migration. The time lapse between the start of migration of male and female Whinchats originates at African wintering grounds and is maintained en route. The absence of the protandry in European Stonechat is probably a relict behaviour from the residency. The protandry in migratory populations of this species is yet to be developed.

Download Full-text

The timing of spring migration in trans-Saharan migrants: a comparison between Ottenby, Sweden and Capri, Italy

Ornis Svecica ◽

10.34080/os.v16.22412 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1–2) ◽

pp. 27-33

Author(s):

Niclas Jonzén ◽

Dario Piacentini ◽

Arne Andersson ◽

Alessandro Montemaggiori ◽

Martin Stervander ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Migratory Birds ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Migration Route ◽

Significant Negative Relationship ◽

Arrival Dates ◽

Spring Arrival ◽

Speed Up ◽

In Trans ◽

Species Specific

Some migratory birds have advanced their spring arrival to Northern Europe, possibly by increasing the speed of migration through Europe in response to increased temperature en route. In this paper we compare the phenology of spring arrival of seven trans-Saharan migrants along their migration route and test for patterns indicating that migration speed varied over the season using long-term data collected on the Italian island of Capri and at Ottenby Bird Observatory, Sweden. There was a linear relationship between median arrival dates on Capri and at Ottenby. The slope was not significantly different from one. On average, the seven species arrived 15 days later at Ottenby compared to Capri. There was a (non-signiﬁcant) negative relationship between the species-speciﬁc arrival dates at Capri and the differences in median arrival dates between Capri and Ottenby, possibly indicating a tendency towards faster migration through Europe later in the season. To what extent different species are able to speed up their migration to beneﬁt from the advancement of spring events is unknown.

Download Full-text

Age- and sex-dependent spring arrival dates of Eastern Kingbirds

Journal of Field Ornithology ◽

10.1111/j.1557-9263.2009.00203.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 80 (1) ◽

pp. 35-41 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Nathan W. Cooper ◽

Michael T. Murphy ◽

Lucas J. Redmond

Keyword(s):

Arrival Dates ◽

Spring Arrival ◽

Age And Sex

Download Full-text

Relationship between arrival date, hatching date and breeding success of the white stork (Ciconia ciconia) in Slovakia

Biologia ◽

10.2478/s11756-009-0037-3 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 64 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Miroslav Fulin ◽

Leszek Jerzak ◽

Tim Sparks ◽

Piotr Tryjanowski

Keyword(s):

Breeding Success ◽

White Stork ◽

Hatching Date ◽

Ciconia Ciconia ◽

Arrival Dates ◽

Spring Arrival ◽

First Arrival ◽

Long Term Trends ◽

Migrant Birds

AbstractChanges in the spring arrival dates of migrant birds have been reported from a range of locations and many authors have focused on long-term trends and their relationship to temperature and other climatic events. Perhaps more importantly, changed arrival dates may have consequences for the breeding dates of birds which strongly influence breeding success. In this paper we take the opportunity provided by a monitoring scheme of the white stork (Ciconia ciconia) to examine several features of the timing of arrival and breeding in relation to chick production in Slovakia during the period 1978–2002. First arrival dates ranged from 5th March to 30th April, and hatching dates varied between 26th April and 8th July. Generally, early arriving pairs started breeding earlier and a shorter interval between the arrival of the first partner and breeding, expressed here as hatching date, resulted in higher breeding success.

Download Full-text

Historical Analysis of the Spring Arrival of Migratory Birds to Dutchess County, New York: A 123-Year Record

Northeastern Naturalist ◽

10.1656/045.018.0306 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 335-346 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jessica Vitale ◽

William H. Schlesinger

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Historical Analysis ◽

Spring Arrival ◽

Dutchess County

Download Full-text

Patterns of differential migration in white-throated sparrows evaluated with isotopic measurements of feathers

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z07-010 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 85 (3) ◽

pp. 413-420 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Daniel F. Mazerolle ◽

Keith A. Hobson

Keyword(s):

Negative Relationship ◽

Differential Migration ◽

Zonotrichia Albicollis ◽

Cold Temperatures ◽

Migratory Songbirds ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Arrival Dates ◽

Wintering Areas ◽

Spring Arrival ◽

Carry Over

We used stable isotope techniques to investigate differential migration in the white-throated sparrow ( Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F. Gmelin, 1789)), a short-distance migrant in North America, to clarify hypotheses about patterns and consequences of migration tactics. Sparrows staging in Manitoba, Canada, exhibited sex-biased differential timing of spring arrival and latitude of wintering origin. Specifically, females arrived later and originated from more southern latitudes. Furthermore, there was a negative relationship between wintering latitude and arrival dates of individuals, although this relationship was only present during the second spring of the study, since atypical cold temperatures were associated with a pulse of late-arriving sparrows during the first spring. The negative correlation between wintering latitude and arrival date was also present within males, suggesting that the distribution of males on wintering areas could have carry-over effects to reproduction. This study demonstrates potential links between events occurring on wintering and breeding grounds of migratory songbirds.

Download Full-text