Rapid Advance of Spring Arrival Dates in Long-Distance Migratory Birds

Over the past decades, spring temperatures have increased in temperate regions, which resulted in birds arriving earlier in spring. Nonetheless, the timing of some species’ spring migration relies on endogenous rhythms that are not affected by climate change. In this study, we analysed changes in the spring arrival dates of 36 bird species over two periods in 22 towns and villages in Southeast Hungary and West Romania. The first period covered the national spring migration counts between 1894 and 1926, while the second period took place between 2005 and 2019 and is based on our recent observation data. Our results show, that the average spring arrival dates of most long-distance migrant species have not changed significantly over the past 100 years. In contrast, in cases of medium and short-distance migrants, most species arrive earlier recently than in the past. This may be caused by the fact, that the migration habit of long-distance migrants is characterized by strong genetic determinants, so they can not react as quickly to the warmer spring weather in Europe as the medium and short-distance migrants. However, in cases of some long-distance migrants, the timing of spring migration changed due to the drying of wintering grounds.

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Sharp Differences in the Timing of Male and Female Spring Arrival in the European Stonechat, Saxicola Rubicola, and the Whinchat, S. Rubetra (Passeriformes, Muscicapidae), in North-Eastern Ukraine

Vestnik Zoologii ◽

10.2478/vzoo-2019-0043 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 (6) ◽

pp. 483-490

Author(s):

M. V. Banik

Keyword(s):

Migratory Birds ◽

Time Lapse ◽

Male And Female ◽

Proximate Cause ◽

North Eastern ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Arrival Dates ◽

Spring Arrival ◽

Widespread Phenomenon ◽

The Difference

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.

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The relative importance of conditions in wintering and passage areas on spring arrival dates: the case of long-distance Iberian migrants

Journal of Ornithology ◽

10.1007/s10336-007-0260-z ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 149 (2) ◽

pp. 199-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Oscar Gordo ◽

Juan José Sanz

Keyword(s):

Relative Importance ◽

Long Distance ◽

Arrival Dates ◽

Spring Arrival

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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.

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Why is timing of bird migration advancing when individuals are not?

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2013.2161 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 281 (1774) ◽

pp. 20132161 ◽

Cited By ~ 88

Author(s):

Jennifer A. Gill ◽

José A. Alves ◽

William J. Sutherland ◽

Graham F. Appleton ◽

Peter M. Potts ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rapid Evolution ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Population Declines ◽

Migratory Species ◽

Long Distance ◽

Breeding Sites ◽

Timing Of Migration ◽

Arrival Dates ◽

Spring Arrival ◽

New Recruits

Recent advances in spring arrival dates have been reported in many migratory species but the mechanism driving these advances is unknown. As population declines are most widely reported in species that are not advancing migration, there is an urgent need to identify the mechanisms facilitating and constraining these advances. Individual plasticity in timing of migration in response to changing climatic conditions is commonly proposed to drive these advances but plasticity in individual migratory timings is rarely observed. For a shorebird population that has significantly advanced migration in recent decades, we show that individual arrival dates are highly consistent between years, but that the arrival dates of new recruits to the population are significantly earlier now than in previous years. Several mechanisms could drive advances in recruit arrival, none of which require individual plasticity or rapid evolution of migration timings. In particular, advances in nest-laying dates could result in advanced recruit arrival, if benefits of early hatching facilitate early subsequent spring migration. This mechanism could also explain why arrival dates of short-distance migrants, which generally return to breeding sites earlier and have greater scope for advance laying, are advancing more rapidly than long-distance migrants.

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Great flights by great snipes: long and fast non-stop migration over benign habitats

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2011.0343 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 7 (6) ◽

pp. 833-835 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

Raymond H. G. Klaassen ◽

Thomas Alerstam ◽

Peter Carlsson ◽

James W. Fox ◽

Åke Lindström

Keyword(s):

Migratory Birds ◽

Strenuous Exercise ◽

Migration Route ◽

Long Distance ◽

Migration Strategy ◽

Ice Caps ◽

Fuel Loads ◽

Stopover Sites ◽

Ecological Barriers ◽

Suitable Habitats

Migratory land birds perform extreme endurance flights when crossing ecological barriers, such as deserts, oceans and ice-caps. When travelling over benign areas, birds are expected to migrate by shorter flight steps, since carrying the heavy fuel loads needed for long non-stop flights comes at considerable cost. Here, we show that great snipes Gallinago media made long and fast non-stop flights (4300–6800 km in 48–96 h), not only over deserts and seas but also over wide areas of suitable habitats, which represents a previously unknown migration strategy among land birds. Furthermore, the great snipes achieved very high ground speeds (15–27 m s −1 ), which was not an effect of strong tailwind support, and we know of no other animal that travels this rapidly over such a long distance. Our results demonstrate that some migratory birds are prepared to accept extreme costs of strenuous exercise and large fuel loads, even when stopover sites are available along the route and there is little tailwind assistance. A strategy of storing a lot of energy before departure, even if migration is over benign habitats, may be advantageous owing to differential conditions of fuel deposition, predation or infection risk along the migration route.

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