scholarly journals Trace elements fingerprint of feathers differs between breeding and non-breeding areas in an Afro-Palearctic migratory bird, the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Parolini ◽  
Michela Sturini ◽  
Federica Maraschi ◽  
Antonella Profumo ◽  
Alessandra Costanzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Passerine Bird ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Hirundo Rustica ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Barn Swallow ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Icp Ms ◽  
Breeding Grounds

AbstractTrace elements are widespread contaminants that can potentially threaten ecosystems and human health. Considering their distribution and toxicity, monitoring their presence in animals represents a priority in environmental risk assessment. Migratory birds have been suggested to be useful biomonitors for trace elements because they can provide information on contaminants even from remote areas that they may exploit during their life cycle. The aim of this study was to analyse the contamination fingerprint of trace elements of African non-breeding staging grounds and European breeding areas in a long-distance migratory passerine bird, the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). We collected feathers grown in the African non-breeding grounds and those grown in the breeding areas of Northern Italy and measured the levels of 12 trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn) by DRC-ICP-MS. Multivariate analysis showed that elemental profiles of feathers grown in African non-breeding areas and in the Italian breeding ones clearly differed, with feathers grown in Africa showing higher concentrations of Al, Cu, Fe, Mn and Ni, but lower concentrations of As, Se and Zn, compared to those grown in Italy. In addition, levels of trace elements were age-dependent, with higher levels in older individuals than in younger ones. Our results add to the growing evidence that feathers of long-distance migratory birds are useful tools to monitor trace elements contamination profiles across continents.

scholarly journals Maintenance of livestock farming may buffer population decline of the Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROBERTO AMBROSINI ◽  
DIEGO RUBOLINI ◽  
PAOLA TROVÒ ◽  
GIOVANNI LIBERINI ◽  
MARCO BANDINI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Hirundo Rustica ◽  
Barn Swallow ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Dramatic Decline ◽  
Small Density ◽  
Barn Swallows ◽  
Agricultural Areas

SummaryPopulations of farmland and long-distance migratory birds have suffered steep, often dramatic, declines in the last few decades. The Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica is a small migratory farmland bird that breeds synanthropically in farms, particularly where livestock is reared. Populations of this species have suffered marked declines in different parts of its European breeding range. Here, we first report a dramatic decline of 8.4% per year of the number of breeding pairs and the extinction of 19.6% of the colonies in three agricultural areas in Northern Italy, which differ in general ecological conditions. This decline was estimated on a very large sample of 190 randomly chosen farms where breeding pairs were censused both in 2001 and 2010, and occurred at different rates in the three study areas. Barn Swallows declined most (9.3% per year) in an intensively cultivated area where colonies are widespread, and least (1.3% per year) in a hilly area with a comparatively small density of colonies. Variation in livestock farming significantly influenced population dynamics. Specifically, cessation of livestock farming at a given farm between the two census years resulted in a significantly steeper decline in the number of breeding pairs compared to farms where livestock farming was maintained. Our findings highlight the fact that European populations of Barn Swallows breeding in intensively cultivated agro-ecosystems may become significantly depleted in the next decades, and indicate that maintenance of livestock farming may contribute to buffering the population decline of this species.

scholarly journals Rainfall-induced changes in food availability modify the spring departure programme of a migratory bird

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1723) ◽  
pp. 3437-3443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin E. Studds ◽  
Peter P. Marra
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Marked Change ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Climatic Warming ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
American Redstarts ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Induced Changes

Climatic warming has intensified selection for earlier reproduction in many organisms, but potential constraints imposed by climate change outside the breeding period have received little attention. Migratory birds provide an ideal model for exploring such constraints because they face warming temperatures on temperate breeding grounds and declining rainfall on many tropical non-breeding areas. Here, we use longitudinal data on spring departure dates of American redstarts ( Setophaga ruticilla ) to show that annual variation in tropical rainfall and food resources are associated with marked change in the timing of spring departure of the same individuals among years. This finding challenges the idea that photoperiod alone regulates the onset of migration, providing evidence that intensifying drought in the tropical winter could hinder adaptive responses to climatic warming in the temperate zone.

scholarly journals Seasonal changes in the altitudinal distribution of nocturnally migrating birds during autumn migration

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (12) ◽  
pp. 150347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank A. La Sorte ◽  
Wesley M. Hochachka ◽  
Andrew Farnsworth ◽  
Daniel Sheldon ◽  
Benjamin M. Van Doren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Polar Front ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Altitudinal Distribution ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Intermediate Distance ◽  
Migrating Birds

Wind plays a significant role in the flight altitudes selected by nocturnally migrating birds. At mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, atmospheric conditions are dictated by the polar-front jet stream, whose amplitude increases in the autumn. One consequence for migratory birds is that the region’s prevailing westerly winds become progressively stronger at higher migration altitudes. We expect this seasonality in wind speed to result in migrants occupying progressively lower flight altitudes, which we test using density estimates of nocturnal migrants at 100 m altitudinal intervals from 12 weather surveillance radar stations located in the northeastern USA. Contrary to our expectations, median migration altitudes deviated little across the season, and the variance was lower during the middle of the season and higher during the beginning and especially the end of the season. Early-season migrants included small- to intermediate-sized long-distance migrants in the orders Charadriiformes and Passeriformes, and late-season migrants included large-bodied and intermediate-distance migrants in the order Anseriformes. Therefore, seasonality in the composition of migratory species, and related variation in migration strategies and behaviours, resulted in a convex–concave bounded distribution of migration altitudes. Our results provide a basis for assessing the implications for migratory bird populations of changes in mid-latitude atmospheric conditions probably occurring under global climate change.

scholarly journals Warmer April Temperatures on Breeding Grounds Promote Earlier Nesting in a Long-Distance Migratory Bird, the Prothonotary Warbler

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey P. Hoover ◽  
Wendy M. Schelsky
Keyword(s):  
Global Climate ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Annual Productivity ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Arrival Dates ◽  
Prothonotary Warbler ◽  
Local Weather

Global climate change and warming are altering hemispheric and local weather patterns. Altered weather patterns have great potential to affect the phenology of life history events, such as the initiation of breeding in organisms that reproduce seasonally. Long-distance migratory birds may be particularly challenged by changes in local weather on breeding grounds because they arrive from distant locations and must commence breeding when conditions are appropriate. Here we explore the effects of local temperature on first egg dates and annual productivity in a long-distance Neotropical migratory songbird, the prothonotary warbler Protonotaria citrea. We present results from a 20-year (1994 to 2013) study documenting the detailed nesting activities of a color-marked population (average of 155 individual females each year) of warblers in southern Illinois, United States. The warblers typically arrive in April and start breeding in late April and May in our study system. We tested for an effect of local average April daily temperature and female age on first egg dates, total number of offspring produced per female, and the probability of fledging two broods. We found that warmer April temperatures promoted earlier first egg dates and higher average annual productivity in the warblers. On average, older females had earlier first egg dates than 1-year-old females, but both age groups responded similarly to local April temperatures. The reproductive gains associated with earlier first egg dates in warmer years stemmed from an increased probability of successfully fledging two broods, suggesting that earlier first egg dates do not currently create a mismatch with food (insect) resources. Earliest arrival dates of warblers to the region of our study system were not affected by local April temperatures, suggesting that females vary their first egg date based on conditions they experience/assess after their arrival. Whereas these birds currently adjust the timing of their breeding and actually produce more offspring in warmer years, continued global warming may eventually upset the current balance between arrival dates, food resources, and the commencement of nesting.

scholarly journals The effect of climate change on the duration of avian breeding seasons: a meta-analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1867) ◽  
pp. 20171710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucyna Halupka ◽  
Konrad Halupka
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Ecological Flexibility ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Many bird species are advancing the timing of their egg-laying in response to a warming climate. Little is known, however, of whether this advancement affects the respective length of the breeding seasons. A meta-analysis of 65 long-term studies of 54 species from the Northern Hemisphere has revealed that within the last 45 years an average population has lengthened the season by 1.4 days per decade, which was independent from changes in mean laying dates. Multi-brooded birds have prolonged their seasons by 4 days per decade, while single-brooded have shortened by 2 days. Changes in season lengths covaried with local climate changes: warming was correlated with prolonged seasons in multi-brooded species, but not in single-brooders. This might be a result of higher ecological flexibility of multi-brooded birds, whereas single brooders may have problems with synchronizing their reproduction with the peak of food resources. Sedentary species and short-distance migrants prolonged their breeding seasons more than long-distance migrants, which probably cannot track conditions at their breeding grounds. We conclude that as long as climate warming continues without major changes in ecological conditions, multi-brooded or sedentary species will probably increase their reproductive output, while the opposite effect may occur in single-brooded or migratory birds.

scholarly journals First documented record of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) in the Antarctic

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Korczak-Abshire ◽  
Alexander Lees ◽  
Agata Jojczyk
Keyword(s):  
Passerine Bird ◽  
Hirundo Rustica ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
King George Island ◽  
The South ◽  
Barn Swallow ◽  
Shetland Islands ◽  
Antarctic Convergence ◽  
The World ◽  
The Antarctic

First documented record of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) in the Antarctic Here we report a photo-documented record of a barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) from the South Shetland Islands. We also review previous records of passerine vagrants in the Antarctic (south of the Antarctic Convergence Zone). This barn swallow is the first recorded member of the Hirundinidae family on King George Island and is only the second passerine recorded in the South Shetland Islands. This sighting, along with previous records of austral negrito and austral trush represent the southernmost sightings of any passerine bird anywhere in the world.

Climate change and maladaptive wing shortening in a long-distance migratory bird

The Auk ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Remacha ◽  
César Rodríguez ◽  
Javier de la Puente ◽  
Javier Pérez-Tris
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Global Change ◽  
Wing Length ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Phenotypic Change ◽  
Correlated Response ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Response To Selection ◽  
Long Distance

Abstract Contemporary phenotypic trends associated with global change are widely documented, but whether such trends always denote trait optimization under changed conditions remains obscure. Natural selection has shaped the wings of long-distance migratory birds to minimize the costs of transport, and new optimal wing shapes could be promoted by migration patterns altered due to global change. Alternatively, wing shape could vary as a correlated response to selection on other traits favored in a changing environment, eventually moving away from the optimal shape for migration and increasing transport costs. Data from 20 yr of monitoring 2 Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) populations breeding in central Spain, where environmental conditions for breeding have deteriorated during recent decades due to increased summer drought, show that birds have reduced wing length relative to body size over the period 1995–2014. However, long-winged nightingales survived their first round-trip migration better, and the shorter the average wing length of individuals, the stronger the survival-associated natural selection favoring longer wings. Maladaptive short wings may have arisen because the mortality costs of migration are outweighed by reproductive benefits accrued by short-winged nightingales in these populations. Assuming that the phenotypic integration of morphological and reproductive adaptations of migratory birds has a genetic basis, we hypothesize that the maladaptive trend towards shorter wings may be a correlated response to selection for moderate breeding investment in drying habitat. Our results provide evidence that contemporary phenotypic change may deviate average trait values from their optima, thereby increasing our understanding of the ecological constraints underpinning adaptation to rapid global change.

scholarly journals Mapping migration in a songbird using high-resolution genetic markers

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen C Ruegg ◽  
Eric Anderson ◽  
Kristina Paxton ◽  
Vanessa Apkenas ◽  
Sirena Lao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Genetic Markers ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Breeding Grounds

Neotropical migratory birds are declining across the Western Hemisphere, but conservation efforts have been hampered by the inability to assess where migrants are most limited–the breeding grounds, migratory stopover sites, or wintering areas. A major challenge has been the lack of an efficient, reliable, and broadly applicable method for connecting populations across the annual cycle. Here we show how high-resolution genetic markers can be used to identify populations of a migratory bird, the Wilson's warbler (Cardellina pusilla), at fine enough spatial scales to facilitate assessing regional drivers of demographic trends. By screening 1626 samples using 96 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected from a large pool of candidates (~450,000), we identify novel region-specific migratory routes and timetables of migration along the Pacific Flyway. Our results illustrate that high-resolution genetic markers are more reliable, accurate, and amenable to high throughput screening than previously described tracking techniques, making them broadly applicable to large-scale monitoring and conservation of migratory organisms.

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