Migratory connectivity and migration pattern of a Palaearctic long-distance migrant

Research Project
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01.01.2009
- 31.12.2011

Every year, about 2 billion songbirds migrate from Europe to sub-Saharan Africa. Following the entire life cycles of individuals and understanding population dynamics of long-distance migrants is of great value for ecological research, but also for nature conservation and politics, allowing us to predict how changes at one site carry over to populations or communities at other distant sites. While numerous monitoring schemes for migratory birds provide excellent data from the European breeding grounds, we know virtually nothing about the whereabouts and habitat use in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, we aim at identifying over-wintering ranges in Africa, quantifying migratory connectivity between Africa and Europe, and revealing the individual migration pattern of long-distance migrating songbirds. Miniaturized daylight loggers will allow us for the first time to track small passerines over a whole year, including the non-breeding period and migration. We will combine the geolocator-tracking with parallel studies on habitat use by stable isotopes such that we can infer individual migration patterns, habitat use and finally migratory connectivity and carry-over effects on a quantitative scale. Because we will investigate several populations, this comparative view on the characteristics and driving forces of the migratory life of our study species will allow drawing conclusions about the ecology of long-distance migrants in general. We choose the nightingale ( Luscinia megarhynchos ) as a model species. Nightingales are common long-distance migrants with a distinct breeding habitat, whose breeding ecology is well-studied at various sites in Europe. Within the project, five populations (Switzerland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, and Bulgaria) will be investigated, which potentially differ in migratory routes and non-breeding areas in Africa. In each population, 50 individuals of each sex will be equipped with light-sensitive data loggers that store the birds' daily positions. After the birds have been recaptured in the subsequent breeding season, the data can be downloaded and analysed. In addition to these general migration data, individual habitat use during the non-breeding period will be derived from stable isotope ratios. The data collected will allow us to locate the geographical areas and habitats used by each population during the non-breeding period and reveal population specific differences in migratory connectivity. Moreover, detailed information on temporal and spatial patterns of individual journeys during spring and autumn migration will allow to draw general conclusions about the ecology of migrants en route.

Collaborations & Cooperations

2011 - Participation or Organization of Collaborations on a national level

Liechti, F.; Hahn, S., Swiss Ornithological Institute, Research cooperation

Members (2)

Valentin Amrhein

Principal Investigator

Tobias Roth

Project Member

Research Groups

Behavioural Ecology (Amrhein)