Individuality in bird migration: routes and timing

Auteur(s): Vardanis, Y (Vardanis, Yannis); Klaassen, RHG (Klaassen, Raymond H. G.); Strandberg, R (Strandberg, Roine); Alerstam, T (Alerstam, Thomas)
Bron: BIOLOGY LETTERS, Volume 7, Issue 4, Pages 502-505, DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.1180
Abstract: The exploration of animal migration has entered a new era with individual-based tracking during multiple years. Here, we investigated repeated migratory journeys of a long-distance migrating bird, the marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus, in order to analyse the variation within and between individuals with respect to routes and timing. We found that there was a stronger individual repeatability in time than in space. Thus, the annual timing of migration varied much less between repeated journeys of the same individual than between different individuals, while there was considerable variation in the routes of the same individual on repeated journeys. The overall contrast in repeatability between time and space was unexpected and may be owing to strong endogenous control of timing, while short-term variation in environmental conditions (weather and habitat) might promote route flexibility. The individual variation in migration routes indicates that the birds navigate mainly by other means than detailed route recapitulation based on landmark recognition.

Arctic melting will affect the migratory strategies of seabirds

A study of kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) in the arctic region provides the first data on the migratory patterns of this seabird species and analyses its capacity to respond to environmental changes. The kittiwake is one of the most emblematic marine species of the arctic area, and evidence suggests that rising temperatures at the north pole over the coming decades will have a dramatic impact on populations of this bird.

To understand the responses of arctic species to climate change, an international team led by Thierry Boulinier (Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, CNRS, France), contributed to by the lecturer Jacob González-Solís, from the UB's Department of Animal Biology and the Institute for Research on Biodiversity (IRBio), has fitted tracking devices to individuals from several kittiwake populations in northern Norway.

Lees meer: ScienceDaily

Scotland’s long-distance dining seabirds

Initial findings of a ground-breaking project that tracks Scotland’s seabirds using technology akin to car ‘sat-navs’, has revealed that seabirds are foraging much further afield than scientists had thought.

The Future of the Atlantic Marine Environment (FAME) project tracks Common Guillemot, Kittiwake and other seabird species in an attempt to identify crucial marine feeding locations. The project followed several birds from the Northern Isles looking for food vast distances from the colony while others stayed closer to home. The islands are together home to some of Scotland’s most important “seabird cities”.

Lees meer: Birdwatch Magazine