☆ 4.3 Article

High individual repeatability of the migratory behaviour of a long-distance migratory seabird

MOVEMENT ECOLOGY (2022)

Journal

MOVEMENT ECOLOGY

Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages -

Publisher

BMC

DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00303-y

Keywords

Animal movement; Bird migration; Migratory behaviour; Individual consistency; Repeatability; Geolocation; Spatial ecology; Phenology

Funding

Projekt DEAL
German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU)
German Ornithologists' Society (DO-G)
Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad of Spain [CGL2016-78530 R]
fondos FEDER

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Abstract

Understanding the patterns, sources, and consequences of migratory behavior is crucial for the conservation of migratory species. This study tracked 138 migratory journeys of 64 common terns and found significant between-individual variation in their annual spatiotemporal distribution, as well as strong individual repeatability in certain aspects of their migratory behavior.

Background Understanding the evolution of migration requires knowledge of the patterns, sources, and consequences of variation in migratory behaviour, a need exacerbated by the fact that many migratory species show rapid population declines and require knowledge-based conservation measures. We therefore need detailed knowledge on the spatial and temporal distribution of individuals across their annual cycle, and quantify how the spatial and temporal components of migratory behaviour vary within and among individuals. Methods We tracked 138 migratory journeys undertaken by 64 adult common terns (Sterna hirundo) from a breeding colony in northwest Germany to identify the annual spatiotemporal distribution of these birds and to evaluate the individual repeatability of eleven traits describing their migratory behaviour. Results Birds left the breeding colony early September, then moved south along the East Atlantic Flyway. Wintering areas were reached mid-September and located at the west and south coasts of West Africa as well as the coasts of Namibia and South Africa. Birds left their wintering areas late March and reached the breeding colony mid-April. The timing, total duration and total distance of migration, as well as the location of individual wintering areas, were moderately to highly repeatable within individuals (repeatability indexes: 0.36-0.75, 0.65-0.66, 0.93-0.94, and 0.98-1.00, respectively), and repeatability estimates were not strongly affected by population-level inter-annual variation in migratory behaviour. Conclusions We found large between-individual variation in common tern annual spatiotemporal distribution and strong individual repeatability of several aspects of their migratory behaviour.

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Long-distance migrants vary migratory behaviour as much as short-distance migrants: An individual-level comparison from a seabird species with diverse migration strategies

J. Morgan Brown, E. Emiel van Loon, Willem Bouten, Kees C. J. Camphuysen, Luc Lens, Wendt Mueller, Chris B. Thaxter, Judy Shamoun-Baranes

Summary: The study found that lesser black-backed gulls exhibit consistent individual strategies for non-breeding distributions, winter site fidelity, migration routes, and timing of migration, regardless of migration distance. However, there are still individual differences in behavior, and these differences are not related to migration distance. This suggests that individuals have the capacity to adjust to current conditions within their individual strategies, and occasionally even change their strategy.

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY (2021)