scholarly journals Migration ecology of western gray catbirds

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen A. Mancuso ◽  
Megan A. Fylling ◽  
Christine A. Bishop ◽  
Karen E. Hodges ◽  
Michael B. Lancaster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Stopover Sites ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
Northeastern Mexico

Abstract Background For many songbirds in North America, we lack movement details about the full annual cycle, notably outside the breeding season. Understanding how populations are linked spatially between breeding and overwintering periods (migratory connectivity) is crucial to songbird conservation and management. We assessed migratory connectivity for 2 breeding populations of Gray Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) west of and within the Rocky Mountains by determining migration routes, stopover sites, and overwintering locations. Additionally, we compared apparent annual survivorship for both populations. Methods We deployed 39 archival light-level geolocators and 21 Global Positioning System (GPS) tags on catbirds in the South Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, and 32 geolocators and 52 GPS tags in the Bitterroot River Valley, Montana, USA. These devices allowed us to determine migration routes, stopover sites, overwintering locations, and migratory connectivity. Migratory connectivity was quantified using Mantel’s correlation. We used mark-recapture of colour banded catbirds in both sites to estimate apparent annual survivorship. Results We retrieved 6 geolocators and 19 GPS tags with usable data. Gray Catbirds from both populations passed through the Rocky Mountains eastward before heading south towards their overwintering locations in northeastern Mexico and Texas. Stopover sites during fall migration occurred primarily in Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Overwintering locations spanned Texas and 5 states in northeastern Mexico. Individual catbirds used up to 4 distinct sites during the overwintering period. Catbirds separated by almost 500 km during the breeding season overlapped during the non-breeding season, suggesting weak migratory connectivity among western populations (Mantel’s correlation = 0.013, P-value = 0.41). Catbird apparent annual survivorship estimates were higher in British Columbia (0.61 ± 0.06 females; 0.64 ± 0.05 males) than in Montana (0.34 ± 0.05 females; 0.43 ± 0.04 males), though the main driver of these differences remain unclear. Conclusions Our results provide high precision geographic details during the breeding, migration, and overwintering phases of the annual cycle for western Gray Catbirds. Notably, we found that western catbirds followed the Central Flyway as opposed to the Pacific Flyway. We document that catbirds used multiple sites over winter, contrary to the popular belief that this phase of the annual cycle is stationary for most songbirds.

scholarly journals Use of stable isotopes (δ2H, δ13C and δ15N) to infer the migratory connectivity of Terek Sandpipers (Xenus cinereus) at stopover sites in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 10-17
Author(s):  
Young-Min Moon ◽  
Kwanmok Kim ◽  
Jinhan Kim ◽  
Hwajung Kim ◽  
Jeong-Chil Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Stopover Sites ◽  
Wintering Areas

Stable isotopes are well documented as effective intrinsic markers to infer migratory connectivity which provides key information for establishing an effective conservation strategy in migratory birds. However, there are few studies using stable isotopes that have been applied to long-distance migratory shorebirds globally and such studies are especially scarce along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. We used stable isotope analysis (δ2H, δ13C and δ15N) to infer breeding and wintering areas and examine the differences in those values among populations of Terek Sandpipers ( Xenus cinereus) at stopover sites in South Korea. The range of δ2H in feathers sampled from birds caught in the Korean peninsula at spring and autumn migration stopover sites was consistent with them being grown at sites throughout their flyway as confirmed by leg flag resightings of birds on this flyway. The eastern Siberia region from Yakutsk to Norilsk and Chukotka in Russia was inferred as the most probable breeding area of the population. Papua New Guinea in the Melanesia region, Malaysia and Indonesia were identified as the most probable wintering areas. Isotope values of populations at different stopover sites and different seasons were consistent. These results suggest that stable isotopes can be effectively used alongside other existing methods (e.g. ringing, coloured leg flags, light level geolocation, satellite tag telemetry) to infer the migratory connectivity for long-distance migratory shorebird species that occur over many countries and continents.

scholarly journals Migratory connectivity and population-specific migration routes in a long-distance migratory bird

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1778) ◽  
pp. 20132897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Trierweiler ◽  
Raymond H. G. Klaassen ◽  
Rudi H. Drent ◽  
Klaus-Michael Exo ◽  
Jan Komdeur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Migration System ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
Wintering Areas

Knowledge about migratory connectivity, the degree to which individuals from the same breeding site migrate to the same wintering site, is essential to understand processes affecting populations of migrants throughout the annual cycle. Here, we study the migration system of a long-distance migratory bird, the Montagu's harrier Circus pygargus , by tracking individuals from different breeding populations throughout northern Europe. We identified three main migration routes towards wintering areas in sub-Saharan Africa. Wintering areas and migration routes of different breeding populations overlapped, a pattern best described by ‘weak (diffuse) connectivity’. Migratory performance, i.e. timing, duration, distance and speed of migration, was surprisingly similar for the three routes despite differences in habitat characteristics. This study provides, to our knowledge, a first comprehensive overview of the migration system of a Palaearctic-African long-distance migrant. We emphasize the importance of spatial scale (e.g. distances between breeding populations) in defining patterns of connectivity and suggest that knowledge about fundamental aspects determining distribution patterns, such as the among-individual variation in mean migration directions, is required to ultimately understand migratory connectivity. Furthermore, we stress that for conservation purposes it is pivotal to consider wintering areas as well as migration routes and in particular stopover sites.

scholarly journals Continent-wide tracking to determine migratory connectivity and tropical habitat associations of a declining aerial insectivore

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1749) ◽  
pp. 4901-4906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin C. Fraser ◽  
Bridget J. M. Stutchbury ◽  
Cassandra Silverio ◽  
Patrick M. Kramer ◽  
John Barrow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Breeding Populations

North American birds that feed on flying insects are experiencing steep population declines, particularly long-distance migratory populations in the northern breeding range. We determine, for the first time, the level of migratory connectivity across the range of a songbird using direct tracking of individuals, and test whether declining northern populations have higher exposure to agricultural landscapes at their non-breeding grounds in South America. We used light-level geolocators to track purple martins, Progne subis , originating from North American breeding populations, coast-to-coast ( n = 95 individuals). We show that breeding populations of the eastern subspecies, P. s. subis , that are separated by ca . 2000 km, nevertheless have almost completely overlapping non-breeding ranges in Brazil. Most (76%) P. s. subis overwintered in northern Brazil near the Amazon River, not in the agricultural landscape of southern Brazil. Individual non-breeding sites had an average of 91 per cent forest and only 4 per cent agricultural ground cover within a 50 km radius, and birds originating from declining northern breeding populations were not more exposed to agricultural landscapes than stable southern breeding populations. Our results show that differences in wintering location and habitat do not explain recent trends in breeding population declines in this species, and instead northern populations may be constrained in their ability to respond to climate change.

Migratory Connectivity of Semipalmated Sandpipers: Winter Distribution and Migration Routes of Breeding Populations

Waterbirds ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheri Gratto-Trevor ◽  
R. I. Guy Morrison ◽  
David Mizrahi ◽  
David B. Lank ◽  
Peter Hicklin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Winter Distribution ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpipers

scholarly journals Population specific annual cycles and migration strategies in a leap-frog migrant

2021 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linus Hedh ◽  
Juliana Dänhardt ◽  
Anders Hedenström
Keyword(s):  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Complex Interaction ◽  
Breeding Area ◽  
Annual Cycles ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
Migration Strategies ◽  
Migratory Population ◽  
Migratory Strategies ◽  
Specific Timing

Abstract A common migratory pattern in birds is that northerly breeding populations migrate to more southerly non-breeding sites compared to southerly breeding populations (leap-frog migration). Not only do populations experience differences in migration distances, but also different environmental conditions, which may vary spatiotemporally within their annual cycles, creating distinctive selective pressures and migratory strategies. Information about such adaptations is important to understand migratory drivers and evolution of migration patterns. We use light-level geolocators and citizen science data on regional spring arrivals to compare two populations of common ringed plover Charadrius hiaticula breeding at different latitudes. We (1) describe and characterize the annual cycles and (2) test predictions regarding speed and timing of migration. The northern breeding population (NBP) wintered in Africa and the southern (SBP) mainly in Europe. The annual cycles were shifted temporally so that the NBP was always later in all stages. The SBP spent more than twice as long time in the breeding area, but there was no difference in winter. The NBP spent more time on migration in general. Spring migration speed was lower in the SBP compared to autumn speed of both populations, and there was no difference in autumn and spring speed in the NBP. We also found a larger variation in spring arrival times across years in the SBP. This suggests that a complex interaction of population specific timing and variation of breeding onset, length of breeding season, and proximity to the breeding area shape the annual cycle and migratory strategies. Significance statement Migration distance, climate, and the resulting composition of the annual cycle are expected to influence migration strategies and timing in birds. Testing theories regarding migration behaviours are challenging, and intraspecific comparisons over the full annual cycle are still rare. Here we compare the spatiotemporal distributions of two latitudinally separated populations of common ringed plovers using light-level geolocators. We found that there was a larger long-term variation in first arrival dates and that migration speed was slower only in spring in a temperate, short-distance migratory population, compared to an Arctic, long-distance migratory population. This suggests that a complex interaction of population specific timing and variation of breeding onset, length of breeding season and proximity to the breeding area shape the annual cycle and migratory behaviours.

scholarly journals Concentration of a widespread breeding population in a few critically important nonbreeding areas: Migratory connectivity in the Prothonotary Warbler

The Condor ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M Tonra ◽  
Michael T Hallworth ◽  
Than J Boves ◽  
Jessie Reese ◽  
Lesley P Bulluck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Breeding Range ◽  
Migratory Routes ◽  
Prothonotary Warbler

Abstract One of the greatest challenges to informed conservation of migratory animals is elucidating spatiotemporal variation in distributions. Without such information, it is impossible to understand full-annual-cycle ecology and effectively implement conservation actions that address where and when populations are most limited. We deployed and recovered light-level geolocators (n = 34) at 6 breeding sites in North America across the breeding range of a declining long-distance migratory bird, the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea). We sought to determine migratory routes, stopover location and duration, and the location of overwintering grounds. We found that the species exhibits a large-scale, east‒west split in migratory routes and weak migratory connectivity across its range. Specifically, almost all individuals, regardless of breeding origin, overlapped in their estimated wintering location in northern Colombia, in an area 20% the size of the breeding range. Additionally, most of the individuals across all breeding locations concentrated in well-defined stopover locations in Central America while en route to Colombia. Although error inherent in light-level geolocation cannot be fully ruled out, surprisingly much of the estimated wintering area included inland areas even though the Prothonotary Warbler is considered a specialist on coastal mangroves in winter. Based on these results, conservation efforts directed at very specific nonbreeding geographical areas will potentially have benefits across most of the breeding population. Our findings highlight the importance of using modern technologies to validate assumptions about little-studied portions of a species’ annual cycle, and the need to distribute sampling across its range.

Clear diel patterns in breeding calls of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) at Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (11) ◽  
pp. 1236-1243
Author(s):  
Katrina Nikolich ◽  
Héloïse Frouin-Mouy ◽  
Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Harbor Seal ◽  
Phoca Vitulina ◽  
Harbor Seals ◽  
Female Behavior ◽  
Nocturnal Foraging ◽  
Male Calling

During the breeding season, male harbor seals (Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758) produce underwater calls for sexual advertisement. The daily and seasonal timing of these calls is influenced by female availability (i.e., tidal haul-out patterns, foraging behavior, and oestrus cycle). Therefore, temporal patterns of male calling can provide clues about patterns of female behavior. We collected underwater recordings during the 2014 breeding season at Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada, and examined the relationships of light level, progression of breeding season, and tide relative to call presence or absence and calling rate. Calls were 15 times more likely to occur at night than during the day. Nocturnal peaks in calling rate have been observed in other harbor seal populations and have been attributed to tidal haul-out patterns and nocturnal foraging of females. In this study, tide level did not have a significant effect on calling rate, and female foraging behavior was not monitored. One acoustic observation of mammal-eating killer whale (Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758)) calls was followed by 48 h of decreased calling rate. We infer that predation risk influences the temporal pattern of male calling at this location and suggest further study to support this hypothesis.

scholarly journals Migratory connectivity of Golden-crowned Sparrows from two wintering regions in California

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renée L Cormier ◽  
Diana L Humple ◽  
Thomas Gardali ◽  
Nathaniel E Seavy
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Migration Route ◽  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Wintering Birds ◽  
Migratory Routes ◽  
Coastal Birds ◽  
And Control

AbstractKnowledge of migratory connectivity is critical to understanding the consequences of habitat loss and climate change on migratory species. We used light-level geolocators to determine breeding locations and migratory routes of wintering Golden-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla) in two regions of California, USA. Eight out of 9 birds tagged at coastal-wintering sites in Marin County went to breeding sites along the Gulf Coast of Alaska, while 7 out of 8 inland-wintering birds in Placer County migrated to interior sites in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and British Columbia, Canada. Our estimate of the strength of migratory connectivity was relatively high (rm = 0.66). Coastal-wintering birds followed a coastal migration route while inland-wintering birds migrated inland. Coastalwintering birds migrated significantly farther than inland birds (3,624 km versus 2,442 km). Coastal birds traveled at a greater rate during spring migration (179 km/d) than did inland birds (118 km/d), but there was no statistical difference in the rate of fall migration (167 km/d and 111 km/d, respectively). Dates of arrival and departure, and duration of spring and fall migration, did not differ between groups, nor did return rates. Rates of return also did not differ between tagged and control birds. The distinct migration routes and breeding areas suggests that there may be more structuring in the migratory geography of the Golden-crowned Sparrow than in a simple panmictic population.

scholarly journals A range-wide domino effect and resetting of the annual cycle in a migratory songbird

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1894) ◽  
pp. 20181916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Gow ◽  
Lauren Burke ◽  
David W. Winkler ◽  
Samantha M. Knight ◽  
David W. Bradley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Timing Of Breeding ◽  
Domino Effect ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
Migratory Songbird ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
Timing Of Arrival

Latitudinal differences in timing of breeding are well documented but how such differences carry over to influence timing of events in the annual cycle of migratory birds is not well understood. We examined geographical variation in timing of events throughout the year using light-level geolocator tracking data from 133 migratory tree swallows ( Tachycineta bicolor ) originating from 12 North American breeding populations. A swallow's breeding latitude influenced timing of breeding, which then carried over to affect breeding ground departure. This resulted in subsequent effects on the arrival and departure schedules at autumn stopover locations and timing of arrival at non-breeding locations. This ‘domino effect’ between timing events was no longer apparent by the time individuals departed for spring migration. Our range-wide analysis demonstrates the lasting impact breeding latitude can have on migration schedules but also highlights how such timing relationships can reset when individuals reside at non-breeding sites for extended periods of time.

scholarly journals Combining Tracking and Remote Sensing to Identify Critical Year-Round Site, Habitat Use and Migratory Connectivity of a Threatened Waterbird Species

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 4049
Author(s):  
Nyambayar Batbayar ◽  
Kunpeng Yi ◽  
Junjian Zhang ◽  
Tseveenmyadag Natsagdorj ◽  
Iderbat Damba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Yangtze River Basin ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Annual Cycles ◽  
Stopover Sites ◽  
Waterbird Species ◽  
Favourable Conservation Status ◽  
Annual Range

We tracked 39 western flyway white-naped cranes (Antigone vipio) throughout multiple annual cycles from June 2017 to July 2020, using GSM-GPS loggers providing positions every 10-min to describe migration routes and key staging areas used between their Mongolian breeding and wintering areas in China’s Yangtze River Basin. The results demonstrated that white-naped cranes migrated an average of 2556 km (±187.9 SD) in autumn and 2673 km (±342.3) in spring. We identified 86 critical stopover sites that supported individuals for more than 14 days, within a 100–800 km wide migratory corridor. This study also confirmed that Luan River catchment is the most important staging region, where white-naped cranes spent 18% of the annual cycle (in both spring and autumn) each year. Throughout the annual cycle, 69% of the tracking locations were from outside of the currently protected areas, while none of the critical staging areas enjoyed any form of site protection. We see further future potential to combine avian tracking data and remote-sensing information throughout the annual range of the white-naped crane to restore it and other such species to a more favourable conservation status.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document