Abstract
The Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla is a model species for the evolution of bird migration in a time of global change. However, many assumptions about putative changes to their migratory paths have not been verified because, until recently, it has not been possible to track individual small passerines throughout the entire migration cycle. With the recent development of miniaturised light-level geolocators, it is now possible to track passerines throughout the migration cycle and test these latter assumptions. We deployed 100 geolocators on Blackcaps breeding in southern Germany in 2015, and recaptured three of these birds in 2016. We used a new analytical tool implemented in the R package GeoLight to identify stopover sites during migration. One bird migrated due west to winter in southern England or possibly northwestern France, whereas two birds migrated south towards North Africa via Italy. Although none of the retrieved geolocators collected data throughout the entire migration cycle, the data suggest that migration patterns of the species are more complex than previously thought.
Zusammenfassung
Erste Verfolgungen individueller Zugwege von Mönchsgrasmücken lassen ein komplexes Migrationsverhalten annehmen
Die Mönchsgrasmücke Sylvia atricapilla ist eine Modellart zur Erforschung der Evolution des Vogelzugs in Zeiten des globalen Wandels. Viele Annahmen zur vermuteten Verlagerung von Zugwegen konnten aber bisher nicht getestet werden, da es bisher nicht möglich war, individuelles Zugverhalten während eines Zugzyklus zu erfassen. Mit der Entwicklung miniaturisierter Lichtlogger ist dies nun möglich. Wir statteten 2015 einhundert in Süddeutschland brütende Mönchsgrasmücken mit Lichtloggern aus, von denen wir drei 2016 wieder fingen. Wir wendeten eine neue analytische Methode im R-Paket GeoLight an, um Ratsplätze auf dem Zug zu identifizieren. Eine Mönchsgrasmücke zog nach Westen, um in Südengland oder möglicherweise auch in Nordfrankreich zu überwintern. Zwei weitere Vögel zogen über Italien nach Nordafrika. Obwohl keiner der Logger über den gesamten Zugzyklus Daten erfasste, zeigen die Ergebnisse, dass der Zug der Mönchgrasmücke komplexer sein könnte als bisher angenommen.
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Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to a private donor who funded a large part of the cost of the light loggers. The geolocator development was financially supported by the Swiss Federal Office for Environment (UTF 254.08.08). D. Franklin kindly improved the English.
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Communicated by N. Chernetsov.
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Hiemer, D., Salewski, V., Fiedler, W. et al. First tracks of individual Blackcaps suggest a complex migration pattern. J Ornithol 159, 205–210 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-017-1490-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-017-1490-3