Satellite tracking reveals a new migration route of black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Background The black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis) is a vulnerable species and the only species that lives in the plateau. Five migration routes of different populations have been identified, but for cranes wintering in Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibet, the migration route and breeding/summering area are still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the spatio-temporal migration patterns of black-necked cranes in this area and to identify important areas for conservation. Methods In 2016, we fitted seven black-necked cranes in Nyingchi with GPS-GSM satellite transmitters to record their migration routes. We used ArcGIS 10.2 to visualize important stopover sites and the ‘ggplot’ function in R to analyze the migration patterns. Results From March 2016 to May 2019, we recorded nine spring migration and four autumn migration tracks from five individuals. Four individuals spent the breeding/summering season in Qinghai Lake, while the other spent the breeding/summering season in the Jinzihai Wetland of Dulan County, Qinghai Province. Detailed spatio-temporal information showed that the spring migration lasted 8.7 ± 4.6 days and covered 1,182.5 ± 90.4 km, while the autumn migration lasted 30 ± 10.6 days and covered 1,455.7 ± 138 km. Basom Lake and the Shazhuyu River were the most important stopover sites during the spring and autumn migrations, respectively. The cranes spent 4.4 ± 3.7 days in Basom Lake and 26.3 ± 10.7 days in the Shazhuyu River. The black-necked cranes mainly migrated during the daytime (>85 % of the fly points), and 81 % (17/21) of all stopover and roosting sites were in the valley or at lakeside swamps. Only 17.7% (516 / 2,914) of the data points for stopover and roosting sites were in protected areas. Main conclusions Our study revealed the breeding/summering areas and migration routes of the black-necked cranes wintering in Nyingchi. These results contribute to a better understanding of the annual spatio-temporal migration patterns and the development of conservation plans for this vulnerable species.

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Autumn Migration Route and Stopover Sites of Black-Necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) Breeding in Yanchiwan Nature Reserve, China

Waterbirds ◽

10.1675/063.043.0110 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (1) ◽

pp. 94

Author(s):

Wang Zi-Jian ◽

Guo Yu-Min ◽

Dou Zhi-Gang ◽

Se Yong-Jun ◽

Yang Ju-Cai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nature Reserve ◽

Autumn Migration ◽

Migration Route ◽

Stopover Sites ◽

Grus Nigricollis

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Assessing site-safeguard effectiveness and habitat preferences of Bar-headed Geese (Anser indicus) at their stopover sites within the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using GPS/GSM telemetry

Avian Research ◽

10.1186/s40657-020-00230-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Junjian Zhang ◽

Yanbo Xie ◽

Laixing Li ◽

Nyambayar Batbayar ◽

Xueqin Deng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Type ◽

Nature Reserves ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Autumn Migration ◽

High Plains ◽

Migration Routes ◽

Stopover Sites ◽

Anser Indicus ◽

Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽

National Nature Reserves

Abstract Background The Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) breeds across the high plains and plateau of Central Asia and winters in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the Indian sub-continent. Of the two recognized discrete flyways of the Bar-headed Goose, the Eastern Tibetan Flyway (ETF) is the larger, comprising at least six migration routes. However, we remain ignorant about their migratory connectivity, habitat use and effectiveness of site-safeguard mechanisms set in place for the species. Methods We tracked 30 ETF Bar-headed Geese from Chinese and Mongolian breeding areas to their wintering grounds using GPS/GSM transmitters, to determine their migration routes and stopover staging patterns within the QTP, overlaying these upon GIS layers of protected area status and habitat type, to model their habitat selection. Results In total, 14 tagged Bar-headed Geese provided information on their entire autumn migration and 4 geese on their entire spring migration. Qinghai Lake marked birds overwintered in the QTP (n = 2), geese tagged in Mongolia wintered either in the QTP (n = 3) or in India/Bangladesh (n = 9), representing three of the migration routes within the ETF. In total, tagged birds staged at 79 different stopover sites within QTP in autumn and 23 in spring, of which 65% (autumn) and 59% (spring) of all fixes fell within the boundaries of either National Nature Reserves (NNRs) or Important Birds Areas (IBAs) in the QTP. Bar-headed Geese predominantly occurred on four land-cover types: grassland (mostly by day), water bodies (at night), wetlands and bare substrates (salt flats, dry lake/river substrates and plough) with little change in proportion. Generalized linear mixed models comparing presence with pseudo-absence data suggested geese strongly selected for wetlands as staging habitat, avoiding bare substrates in spring. Conclusions Based on our limited observations of these tagged geese, this study is the first to show that the current designated National Nature Reserves in place in the staging areas within the QTP appear adequate to protect this increasing population. In addition, Hala Lake in Qinghai Province and adjacent areas used as initial QTP staging during autumn migration (currently outside of designated as NNRs/IBAs) are recommended for protection, based on their use by tagged birds from this study. Habitat modelling confirmed the importance of natural wetlands as feeding areas and safe areas of open water as roosting places.

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Migration routes and stopover sites of the Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) between the Carpathian Basin and wintering areas

Ornis Hungarica ◽

10.1515/orhu-2016-0008 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 128-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Csaba Pigniczki ◽

Jelena Kralj ◽

Stefano Volponi ◽

Antun Žuljević ◽

Mohamed-Ali Dakhli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Statistical Significance ◽

River Mouth ◽

Balkan Peninsula ◽

Spring Migration ◽

Carpathian Basin ◽

Autumn Migration ◽

Western Coast ◽

Migration Routes ◽

Stopover Sites ◽

Wintering Areas

Abstract Understanding the migration routes of the Central European Spoonbill population is important for their conservation. Here we analysed movements of 3186 individuals of Eurasian Spoonbills marked with colour rings in the Carpathian Basin (Hungary, Croatia and Serbia) between 2003 and 2015, and a satellite tagged individual, which was equipped in Italy in 2013, and later moved to the Carpathian Basin. Migration routes of these Spoonbills predominantly followed the Adriatic Flyway, however, some birds were also found to both east and west from this flyway. We identified 59 stopover sites, 55 of which were located along the Adriatic Flyway. Colourringed juveniles (1cy), on average, spent 4.0±0.9 (SE) days on the stopover sites along the Adriatic Flyway during autumn migration, while non-juveniles (> 1cy) spent 2.6±1.0 (SE) days during autumn and 2.1±0.4 (SE) days during spring migration there. These durations were not significantly different. Duration of stops of the satellite tracked individual was between 7 and 15 days during autumn and between 1 and 12 days during spring migration. Our results indicate the existence of two alternative routes of the Adriatic Flyway between the Carpathian Basin and the wintering areas in southern Italy and the central part of coastal North-Africa. The North-Adriatic Flyway includes stopover sites in north-eastern Italy at the river mouth of River Isonzo, Lagunes of Venice and wetlands around River Po. The South Adriatic Flyway leads through the Balkan Peninsula, with stopover sites at the karst lakes of Bosnia and Herzegovina, mouth of the river Neretva (Croatia), Ulcinj Salinas (Montenegro) and wetlands in Gulf of Manfredonia (Italy). This hypothesis was also supported by the migration of the satellite tagged individual, the paths of which was described here in detail. The average coordinates of spring and autumn stopover sites were located at different parts of the flyway: it was in south-western Italy during autumn migration, while it was close to the western coast of the Balkan Peninsula during spring migration. We found examples for Spoonbills using the same migration paths along the same route year by year on both spring and autumn migration, but also noticed shifts between routes. Some observations indicate that individuals may show site fidelity to stopover sites between years, although the sample size was low for statistical significance.

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Geolocators reveal migration routes, stopover sites, and nonbreeding dispersion in a population of Cerulean Warblers

Animal Migration ◽

10.1515/ami-2020-0003 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 19-26

Author(s):

Clayton D Delancey ◽

Kamal Islam ◽

Gunnar R Kramer ◽

Garrett J MacDonald ◽

Alexander R Sharp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Spring Migration ◽

Autumn Migration ◽

Migration Routes ◽

Neotropical Migrant ◽

Wood Warblers ◽

Before And After ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Declining Species ◽

Cerulean Warblers

AbstractCerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea) are among the fastest declining Nearctic-Neotropical migrant wood-warblers (Parulidae) in North America. Despite ongoing conservation efforts, little is known about their non-breeding distribution. In June 2016-2018, we deployed geolocators (n = 30) on adult male Cerulean Warblers in Indiana, USA, to track annual movements of individuals. Recovered geolocators (n = 4) showed that Cerulean Warblers occurred broadly throughout northern South America. Autumn migration lasted 44-71 days (n = 4), whereas spring migration lasted 37-41 days (n = 3). The average migration distance was 5268 km. During autumn migration, Cerulean Warblers made 1-4 stopovers (i.e., ≥2 days; n = 4) and 1-2 stopovers during spring migration (n = 3). When crossing the Gulf of Mexico during autumn migration, two birds stopped over after crossing, but not beforehand. Two others navigated through the Caribbean rather than crossing the Gulf of Mexico. During spring migration, one individual stopped after crossing, one individual stopped before crossing, and one individual stopped before and after crossing the Gulf of Mexico. No birds migrated through the Caribbean Islands during spring migration. These results represent novel information describing annual movements of individual Cerulean Warblers and will inform conservation efforts for this declining species.

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Mining citizen science data to explore stopover sites and spatiotemporal variation in migration patterns of the red-footed falcon

Current Zoology ◽

10.1093/cz/zoaa008 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (5) ◽

pp. 467-475 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anastasios Bounas ◽

Maria Solanou ◽

Michele Panuccio ◽

Sanja Barišić ◽

Taulant Bino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Migration Routes ◽

Central Mediterranean ◽

Science Data ◽

Yearly Variation ◽

Migration Patterns ◽

Species Migration ◽

Stopover Sites ◽

The Mediterranean

Abstract Citizen science data have already been used to effectively address questions regarding migration, a fundamental stage in the life history of birds. In this study, we use data from eBird and from 3 additional regional citizen science databases to describe the migration routes and timing of the red-footed falcon Falco vespertinus in the Mediterranean region across 8 years (2010–2017). We further examine the seasonal and yearly variation in migration patterns and explore sites used during the species migration. Our results suggest that the autumn passage is spatially less variable and temporally more consistent among years than in spring and that birds migrate faster in spring than in autumn. The species seems to be more prevalent along the Central Mediterranean during spring migration, probably as a result of the clockwise loop migration that red-footed falcons perform. There was a high variation in annual median migration dates for both seasons as well as in migration routes across years and seasons. Higher variation was exhibited in the longitudinal component thus indicating flexibility in migration routes. In addition, our results showed the species’ preference for lowlands covered with cropland and mosaics of cropland and natural vegetation as stopover sites during migration. Stopover areas predicted from our distribution modeling highlight the importance of the Mediterranean islands as stopover sites for sea-crossing raptors, such as the red-footed falcon. This study is the first to provide a broad-scale spatiotemporal perspective on the species migration across seasons, years and flyways and demonstrates how citizen science data can inform future monitoring and conservation strategies.

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Tracking the Autumn Migration of the Bar-Headed Goose (Anser indicus) with Satellite Telemetry and Relationship to Environmental Conditions

International Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1155/2011/323847 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Yaonan Zhang ◽

Meiyu Hao ◽

John Y. Takekawa ◽

Fumin Lei ◽

Baoping Yan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Conditions ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Autumn Migration ◽

Qinghai Lake ◽

Vegetation Coverage ◽

Migration Routes ◽

Mountainous Regions ◽

Stopover Sites

The autumn migration routes of bar-headed geese captured before the 2008 breeding season at Qinghai Lake, China, were documented using satellite tracking data. To assess how the migration strategies of bar-headed geese are influenced by environmental conditions, the relationship between migratory routes, temperatures, and vegetation coverage at stopovers sites estimated with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were analyzed. Our results showed that there were four typical migration routes in autumn with variation in timing among individuals in start and end times and in total migration and stopover duration. The observed variation may be related to habitat type and other environmental conditions along the routes. On average, these birds traveled about 1300 to 1500 km, refueled at three to six stopover sites and migrated for 73 to 83 days. The majority of the habitat types at stopover sites were lake, marsh, and shoal wetlands, with use of some mountainous regions, and farmland areas.

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The familiar area hypothesis and movement patterns of wild forest reindeer in Karelia, Northern Europe

Rangifer ◽

10.7557/2.6.2.652 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 235 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E. Pulliainen ◽

P. I. Danilov ◽

K. Heikura ◽

E. Erkinaro ◽

S. Sulkava ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Small Groups ◽

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

Movement Patterns ◽

Spring Migration ◽

Exploratory Behaviour ◽

Autumn Migration ◽

Northern Europe ◽

Migration Routes ◽

Migration Period ◽

Restricted Area

The relevance of the familiar area hypothesis to the behaviour of the wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus Lönnb.) was studied in a Fenno-Soviet project by radio and field tracking of these ungulates in Karelia, Northern Europe, in 1978 - 1985. This subpopulation (500 - 600 exx.) has a tradition of overwintering in a restricted area around Lake Lentua (ca. 1000 km2). The spring migration period is shorter in length than the autumn migration. The migration routes are generally the same in autumn and spring, although exceptions occur, indicating exploratory behaviour. The large winter herds disband into small groups or lone individuals for the summertime, when this subpopulation is spread over a much wider area (ca. 5400 km2). It is concluded that the observations made support the familiar area hypothesis in all essential points.

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Trans-Gulf of Mexico loop migration of tree swallows revealed by solar geolocation

Current Zoology ◽

10.1093/czoolo/60.5.653 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 60 (5) ◽

pp. 653-659 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

David W. Bradley ◽

Robert G. Clark ◽

Peter O. Dunn ◽

Andrew J. Laughlin ◽

Caz M. Taylor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Gulf Coast ◽

Spring Migration ◽

Tree Swallow ◽

Autumn Migration ◽

The South ◽

Migration Routes ◽

Wintering Grounds ◽

Breeding Sites ◽

Prevailing Wind Direction

Abstract One of the greatest feats of avian migration is the non-stop crossing of extensive areas of inhospitable habitat such as deserts and seas. Differences in spring and autumn migration routes have been reported in species that cross such barriers, and are thought to have evolved in response to seasonal variation in prevailing wind direction. We tested the hypothesis that migration routes vary seasonally with respect to the Gulf of Mexico in the tree swallow Tachycineta bicolor using solar geolocators attached and retrieved at 4 breeding sites in central North America. We found that 100 % of birds (n = 10) made a trans-Gulf flight of >850 km from Louisiana south to their wintering grounds in the Yucatan Peninsula in 12–36 hours, achieving minimum ground speeds as high as 32 m/s. Although most days during autumn migration were characterized by unfavorable headwinds blowing to the northwest, migration over the Gulf mostly occurred on days with strong winds blowing to the south. In contrast, in 8 of 9 (88 %) birds on spring migration returned from the wintering grounds towards Louisiana following a clockwise loop pat tern flying over land to the west around the Gulf. During this spring period there were few days with prevailing winds from the south to assist northward migration. Results suggest that, despite being up to three times further (ca. 2,700 km), a coastal cir- cum-Gulf spring migration represents the less risky route when wind conditions are not favorable. These findings also help to re solve a long-standing dispute in the literature concerning migration patterns between the US Gulf coast and Mexico, and provide insight into the factors shaping migration strategies of small songbirds migrating across large bodies of water.

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Seasonal, Age, and Sex Differences in Weight, Fat Reserves, and Plasma Corticosterone in Western Sandpipers

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/105.1.13 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 105 (1) ◽

pp. 13-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kathleen M. O'Reilly ◽

John C. Wingfield

Keyword(s):

Annual Cycle ◽

San Diego ◽

Spring Migration ◽

Autumn Migration ◽

Calidris Mauri ◽

Fat Reserves ◽

Stopover Sites ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Western Sandpipers ◽

Bodega Bay

Abstract Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) were followed throughout their annual cycle along the Pacific Coast of North America. Changes in body condition and corticosterone were tracked at two overwintering sites (Ensenada, Mexico, and San Diego, California), four migration stopover sites (Bodega Bay, California, Grays Harbor and False Bay, Washington, and Hartney Bay, Alaska), and a breeding site (Nome, Alaska). Adult males and females had elevated weight and fat scores during spring migration, breeding, and autumn migration relative to lean levels during winter. Although elevated mass and fat reserves may hinder escape from predators and are not necessary at wintering sites with benign conditions, the cost-benefit trade-offs with weight and agility shift during migration and breeding. Extra fat and muscle are necessary for fueling the long flight to and from the breeding grounds and serve as a hedge against unpredictable food and weather conditions on the breeding grounds. First-year birds weighed less and had lower fat reserves at smaller stopover sites than migrants at a large stopover site. Plasma levels of corticosterone revealed seasonal differences in the adrenocortical response to stress, although initial levels were fairly consistent across seasons. The highest stress response of the annual cycle in males was during autumn migration, in contrast to the lowest levels during early spring migration, breeding, and overwintering. Late-spring migrants and autumn premigrants had intermediate stress responses. An emerging pattern from this and other shorebird studies is that migrants with imminent flights of more than 1000 km have elevated corticosterone levels. Diferencias Estacionales de Edad y Sexo en Peso, Reservas de Grasa y Corticosterona Plasmática en Calidris mauri Resumen. Se siguieron individuos de Calidris mauri a través de su ciclo anual a lo largo de la costa Pacífica de Norteamérica. Se evaluaron los cambios en la condición corporal y la corticosterona en dos sitios de invernación (Ensenada, México y San Diego, California), cuatro sitios de escala migratoria (Bodega Bay, California, Grays Harbor y False Bay, Washington, y Hartney Bay, Alaska) y un sitio reproductivo (Nome, Alaska). Los machos y hembras adultos tuvieron pesos y niveles de grasa altos durante las épocas de migración de primavera, reproducción y migración de otoño con relación a los niveles magros del invierno. Aunque presentar masa elevada y reservas de grasa puede limitar el escape de los depredadores y no es necesario en los sitios de invernada con condiciones benignas, existe un cambio en la solución de compromiso entre el costo-beneficio del peso y la agilidad de vuelo durante la migración y la reproducción. La grasa y músculos adicionales son necesarios para proveer combustible para los largos vuelos hacia y desde las áreas de reproducción y sirven como protección contra condiciones alimenticias y climáticas impredecibles en las áreas reproductivas. Las aves añales pesaron menos y tuvieron menos reservas grasas en sitios de escala pequeños que los migrantes en un sitio de escala grande. Los niveles plasmáticos de corticosterona mostraron diferencias estacionales en la respuesta adrenocórtica al estrés, aunque los niveles iniciales fueron relativamente consistentes a través de las estaciones. La respuesta al estrés más alta del ciclo anual de los machos se presentó durante la migración de otoño, contrastando con los niveles más bajos durante el inicio de la migración de primavera, la época reproductiva y la época de invernación. Las aves que migraron temprano en la primavera y las premigrantes de otoño presentaron niveles intermedios de respuesta al estrés. Un patrón que emerge de éste y otros estudios sobre aves marinas es que las migratorias que hacen vuelos de más de 1000 km presentan niveles elevados de corticosterona.

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Spring migration routes and chronology of surf scoters (Melanitta perspicillata): a synthesis of Pacific coast studies

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z09-099 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 87 (11) ◽

pp. 1069-1086 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

S.E.W. De La Cruz ◽

J. Y. Takekawa ◽

M. T. Wilson ◽

D. R. Nysewander ◽

J. R. Evenson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

San Francisco ◽

Pacific Coast ◽

Puget Sound ◽

Spring Migration ◽

Seasonal Effect ◽

Migration Route ◽

Migration Routes ◽

Strait Of Georgia ◽

Melanitta Perspicillata

Understanding interconnectivity among wintering, stopover, and breeding areas of migratory birds is pivotal to discerning how events occurring in each might have a cross-seasonal effect on another. Such information can guide the location and timing of conservation efforts. Thus, we examined spring migration routes, chronology, and stopover use of 85 surf scoters ( Melanitta perspicillata (L., 1758)) marked with satellite transmitters at four Pacific Flyway wintering sites: San Quintin Bay, Baja California; San Francisco Bay, California; Puget Sound, Washington; and Strait of Georgia, British Columbia. Eighty-three percent of marked scoters followed two main routes to the breeding area: a Southern Inland route involving staging in Puget Sound and Strait of Georgia and protracted inland migration, or a Northern Coastal route characterized by short movements along the Pacific coast of British Columbia and southeast Alaska with inland migration initiating from Lynn Canal and surrounding areas. Route choice was related to nesting site latitude in the Canadian Northern Boreal Forest. Data from birds tracked over 2 years indicated strong migration route fidelity, but altered chronology and stopover locations between years. Departure date varied by wintering site, but arrival and apparent settling dates were synchronous, suggesting individuals adjusted migration timing to meet an optimized reproductive schedule.

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