Range-wide migration corridors and non-breeding areas of a northward expanding Afro-Palaearctic migrant, the European Bee-eater Merops apiaster
Hahn, Steffen ; Alves, José A. ; Bedev, Kiril ; Costa, Joana S. ; Emmenegger, Tamara LU
; Schulze, Martin
; Tamm, Peter
; Zehtindjiev, Pavel
and Dhanjal-Adams, Kiran L.
(2020)
In Ibis
162(2).
p.345-355
- Abstract
Across their ranges, different populations of migratory species often use separate routes to migrate between breeding and non-breeding grounds. Recent changes in climate and land-use have led to breeding range expansions in many species but it is unclear whether these populations also establish new migratory routes, non-breeding sites and migration phenology. Thus, we compared the migration patterns of European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster from two established western (n = 5) and eastern (n = 6) breeding populations in Europe, with those from a newly founded northern population (n = 19). We aimed to relate the breeding populations to the two known non-breeding clusters in Africa, and to test for similarities of migration routes and timing... (More)
Across their ranges, different populations of migratory species often use separate routes to migrate between breeding and non-breeding grounds. Recent changes in climate and land-use have led to breeding range expansions in many species but it is unclear whether these populations also establish new migratory routes, non-breeding sites and migration phenology. Thus, we compared the migration patterns of European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster from two established western (n = 5) and eastern (n = 6) breeding populations in Europe, with those from a newly founded northern population (n = 19). We aimed to relate the breeding populations to the two known non-breeding clusters in Africa, and to test for similarities of migration routes and timing between the old and new populations. Western Bee-eaters used the western flyway to destinations in West Africa; the eastern birds uniformly headed south to southern African non-breeding sites, confirming a complete separation in time and space between these long-established populations. The recently founded northern population, however, also used a western corridor, but crossed the Mediterranean further east than the western population and overwintered mainly in a new non-breeding area in southern Congo/northern Angola. The migration routes and the new non-breeding range overlapped only slightly with the western, but not with the eastern, population. In contrast, migration phenology appeared to differ between the western and both the northern and the eastern populations, with tracked birds from the western population migrating 2–4 weeks earlier. The northern population thus shares some spatial traits with western Bee-eaters, but similar phenology only with eastern population. This divergence highlights the adjustments in the timing of migration to local environmental conditions in newly founded populations, and a parallel establishment of new breeding and non-breeding sites.
(Less)
- author
- Hahn, Steffen
; Alves, José A.
; Bedev, Kiril
; Costa, Joana S.
; Emmenegger, Tamara
LU
; Schulze, Martin
; Tamm, Peter
; Zehtindjiev, Pavel
and Dhanjal-Adams, Kiran L.
- publishing date
- 2020-04-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- keywords
- annual cycle, flyway, Meropidae, migratory connectivity, range expansion, timing of migration
- in
- Ibis
- volume
- 162
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 345 - 355
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85067678743
- ISSN
- 0019-1019
- DOI
- 10.1111/ibi.12752
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Funding Information: We are grateful to I. Todte and U. K?ppen (Ringing programme Bee-eater, German Ringing Centre Hiddensee) and to A. D. Rocha, P. M. Ara?jo and other volunteers for long-term support and help with fieldwork in Portugal. We thank F. Liechti, L. Jenni, the editors and two anonymous reviewers for comments on earlier drafts. Funding was provided by Swiss National Science Foundation 31003A_160265 to S.H.; J.A.A. and J.S.C. benefited from FCT grants (SFRH/BPD/91527/2012 and SFRH/BD/113580/2015). The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) contributed financial support for the development of the tags (grant UTF 400.34.11). Fieldwork was carried out under permissions LAU 44.13-22480-07/2010, 32/2012, -59/2012 and -58/2015 (all DE), ICNF 111/2015 (PT); and Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters 578/25.04.2014 and 672/17.03.2016. Publisher Copyright: © 2019 British Ornithologists’ Union
- id
- 2b9a5ab2-f42f-4bdf-97f3-b10ec585b8a2
- date added to LUP
- 2021-10-29 10:56:29
- date last changed
- 2022-08-24 14:48:29
@article{2b9a5ab2-f42f-4bdf-97f3-b10ec585b8a2,
abstract = {{<p>Across their ranges, different populations of migratory species often use separate routes to migrate between breeding and non-breeding grounds. Recent changes in climate and land-use have led to breeding range expansions in many species but it is unclear whether these populations also establish new migratory routes, non-breeding sites and migration phenology. Thus, we compared the migration patterns of European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster from two established western (n = 5) and eastern (n = 6) breeding populations in Europe, with those from a newly founded northern population (n = 19). We aimed to relate the breeding populations to the two known non-breeding clusters in Africa, and to test for similarities of migration routes and timing between the old and new populations. Western Bee-eaters used the western flyway to destinations in West Africa; the eastern birds uniformly headed south to southern African non-breeding sites, confirming a complete separation in time and space between these long-established populations. The recently founded northern population, however, also used a western corridor, but crossed the Mediterranean further east than the western population and overwintered mainly in a new non-breeding area in southern Congo/northern Angola. The migration routes and the new non-breeding range overlapped only slightly with the western, but not with the eastern, population. In contrast, migration phenology appeared to differ between the western and both the northern and the eastern populations, with tracked birds from the western population migrating 2–4 weeks earlier. The northern population thus shares some spatial traits with western Bee-eaters, but similar phenology only with eastern population. This divergence highlights the adjustments in the timing of migration to local environmental conditions in newly founded populations, and a parallel establishment of new breeding and non-breeding sites.</p>}},
author = {{Hahn, Steffen and Alves, José A. and Bedev, Kiril and Costa, Joana S. and Emmenegger, Tamara and Schulze, Martin and Tamm, Peter and Zehtindjiev, Pavel and Dhanjal-Adams, Kiran L.}},
issn = {{0019-1019}},
keywords = {{annual cycle; flyway; Meropidae; migratory connectivity; range expansion; timing of migration}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{04}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{345--355}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Ibis}},
title = {{Range-wide migration corridors and non-breeding areas of a northward expanding Afro-Palaearctic migrant, the European Bee-eater Merops apiaster}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12752}},
doi = {{10.1111/ibi.12752}},
volume = {{162}},
year = {{2020}},
}