Seagrass (Zostera spp.) as food for brent geese (Branta bernicla): an overview

Brent geese (called brant in North America) are among the smallest and the most marine of all goose species, and they have very long migration routes between high Arctic breeding grounds and temperate wintering grounds. Like all other geese, brent geese are almost entirely herbivorous. Because of these ecological characteristics they have a high food demand and are strongly dependent on stopover sites to ”refuel” during the migration period. Three subspecies of brent geese are distributed around the Holarctic, forming seven populations with distinct migration routes. Most or all of these populations make heavy use of Zostera spp. during migratory stopovers on spring and/or autumn migration. Examples of Zostera stopover areas being used by large numbers of brent geese for several weeks each year are Izembek Lagoon (Alaska), lagoons in Baja California, the German/Danish Wadden Sea, the Golfe du Morbihan (France), British estuaries, and the White Sea (Western Russian Arctic). Brent geese feed on Zostera wherever they can, but they can only reach the plants at low tide or in shallow water. Changes in Zostera abundance affect brent goose distribution, and the ”wasting disease” affecting Atlantic Zostera stocks during the 1930s was at least partly responsible for a steep decline in brent goose population sizes on both sides of the Atlantic. While Zostera is of outstanding importance as food for brent geese, the impact of the geese on Zostera stocks seems to be less important – at many sites, the geese consume only a small amount of the available Zostera, or, if they consume more, the seagrass can regenerate fully until the following season. Received: 6 December 1998 / Received in revised form: 6 August 1999 / Accepted: 9 August 1999     

西藏南部羊卓雍错水鸟群落及斑头雁活动区域特征

2009年4月至2010年1月,对西藏南部羊卓雍错的水鸟资源状况进行了调查。采用定点观察的方法,沿湖选择了24个观察点,分别在繁殖前期、中期和后期,以及秋季和冬季进行了6次调查。采用核密度分析(Kernel analysis)的方法,对两只卫星跟踪斑头雁(Anser indicus)的活动区进行了分析。调查期间,记录到水鸟32种31044只,隶属于6目10科。雁鸭类和鸥类分别占水鸟总数73.9%和19.1%,主要是斑头雁、赤嘴潜鸭(Rhodonessa rufina)、赤麻鸭(Tadorna ferruginea)、棕头鸥(Larus brunnicephalus)等。水鸟多样性较高的季节是春秋迁徙季节。羊卓雍错夏季主要的繁殖种群是斑头雁和棕头鸥,也有少量黑颈鹤(Grus nigricollis)的繁殖个体;冬季主要物种是赤嘴潜鸭,经常聚集在融化的冰面上。春季斑头雁的数量增加趋势较为明显;进入繁殖期后,斑头雁处于孵卵阶段,繁殖种群的数量达到2000余只;繁殖后期,斑头雁换羽结束,成鸟带领幼鸟在鸟岛附近的湖边取食,此时观察到斑头雁的数量又有明显的增加;秋季斑头雁的南迁致使种群数量呈下降趋势;冬季许多斑头雁从北方如青海湖等地迁来越冬使得种群数量有所增加,多分布于湖西浪卡子县城附近的沼泽湿地和湖南部的绒波臧布河流的入口处。卫星跟踪结果表明,羊卓雍错是青海湖繁殖的斑头雁重要的越冬地之一,湖西部沼泽湿地和湖南部的河流入口处是其主要活动区域,而且该湖与雅鲁藏布江河谷之间通过斑头雁的往来移动存在着联系,因而是西藏南部禽流感监测的重要地点。     

Long-distance travellers stopover for longer: a case study with spoonbills staying in North Iberia

Long-distance migration is widespread among birds, connecting breeding and wintering areas through a set of stopover localities where individuals refuel and/or rest. The extent of the stopover is critical in determining the migratory strategy of a bird. Here, we examined the relationship between minimum length of stay of PVC-ringed birds in a major stopover site and the remaining flight distance to the overwintering area in the Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea l. leucorodia) during four consecutive autumn migrations. We also analysed the potential effect of timing (arrival date), as well as the role of experience in explaining stopover duration of spoonbills. Overall, birds wintering in Africa, and facing long-distance travel from the stopover site (ca. 3,000 km) stay for longer (2.7 ± 0.4 days) than Iberian winterers (1.5 ± 0.2 days) that perform a much shorter migration (ca. 800 km). These differences were consistent between years. Stopover duration was not significantly affected by the age of the bird. However, there was a significant reduction as migration advanced. Our results suggest that spoonbills develop different stopover strategies depending on the expected distance to the wintering grounds. Adults, especially long-distance migratory ones, could reduce the potential negative effects of density-dependence processes by avoiding stopover at the end of the migration period. These findings are of significant relevance for understanding differences in migratory behaviour within single populations, especially for declining waterbirds, as well as stress the relevance of preserving stopover localities for the conservation of intraspecific diversity in migratory species.     

Narrow-Front Loop Migration in a Population of the Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus,as Revealed by Satellite Telemetry

Narrow migration corridors known in diurnal, social migrants such as raptors, storks and geese are thought to be caused by topographical leading line effects in combination with learning detailed routes across generations. Here, we document narrow-front migration in a nocturnal, solitary migrant, the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus, using satellite telemetry. We tracked the migration of adult cuckoos from the breeding grounds in southern Scandinavia (n = 8), to wintering sites in south-western Central Africa (n = 6) and back to the breeding grounds (n = 3). Migration patterns were very complex; in addition to the breeding and wintering sites, six different stopover sites were identified during the 16,000 km annual route that formed a large-scale clockwise loop. Despite this complexity, individuals showed surprisingly similar migration patterns, with very little variation between routes. We compared observed tracks with simulated routes based on vector orientation (with and without effects of barriers on orientation and survival). Observed distances between routes were often significantly smaller than expected if the routes were established on the basis of an innate vector orientation programme. Average distance between individuals in eastern Sahel after having migrated more than 5,000 km for example, was merely 164 km. This implies that more sophisticated inherent guiding mechanisms, possibly involving elements of intermediate goal area navigation or more elaborate external cues, are necessary to explain the complex narrow-front migration pattern observed for the cuckoos in this study.     

The pull of the Central Flyway? Veeries breeding in western Canada migrate using an ancestral eastern route

Understanding non‐breeding season movements and identifying wintering areas of different populations of migratory birds is important for establishing patterns of migratory connectivity over the annual cycle. We analyzed archival solar geolocation (N = 5) and global positioning data (N = 1) to investigate migration routes, stopover sites, and wintering areas of a western‐most breeding population of Veeries (Catharus fuscescens) in the Pemberton Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Geolocation data were analyzed using a Bayesian state‐space model to improve likely position estimates. We compared our results with those from a Veery population located ~250 km east across a mountain chain in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, and with an eastern population in Delaware, U.S.A. Migrating Veeries from the Pemberton Valley used an eastern trajectory through the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains to join a central flyway during fall and spring migration, a route similar to that used by Veeries breeding in the Okanagan Valley. However, wintering destinations of Pemberton Valley birds were more varied, with inter‐individual wintering distances ~1000 km greater than birds from the Okanagan Valley population and ~500 km from the previously known winter range of Veeries. The observed eastern migration path likely follows an ancestral route that evolved following the most recent glacial retreat. Consistent with patterns observed from the Okanagan and Delaware populations, Veeries from the Pemberton Valley undertook an intra‐tropical migration on the wintering grounds, but this winter movement differed from those of previously studied populations. Such winter movements may thus be idiosyncratic or show coarse population associations. Intra‐wintering‐ground movements likely occur either in response to seasonal changes in habitat suitability or as a means of optimizing pre‐migratory fueling prior to long‐distance spring movements to North America.     

Warming winter effects,fat store accumulation and timing of spring departure of Greenland White-fronted Geese <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anser albifrons flavirostris</Emphasis> from their winter quarters

Migratory geese accumulate energy and nutrient stores in winter to fly to refuelling spring staging areas before onward migration to breeding areas. Mean ground temperatures at two important Greenland White-fronted Geese wintering sites rose in winter and spring by 1.0–1.3°C during 1973–2007. Greenland White-fronted Geese departed the Wexford winter quarters on 3rd April 2007 for Icelandic spring staging areas, the earliest on record, representing a mean advancement of 15 days since 1973, mirrored amongst mean dates of departure amongst Scottish wintering birds that have advanced by 12 days during 1973–2007. Icelandic temperatures at critical midway staging areas en route to Greenland showed no significant change since 1973, suggesting that it is warming on the winter quarters that enable geese to depart earlier, rather than elevated temperatures at ultimate spring staging areas. However, Wexford departure date did not correlate with spring temperature. Data presented here show that Greenland White-fronted Geese have accumulated threshold body stores progressively earlier in spring migration, especially during 1995–2007. Although this did not correlate with ambient temperature, the mean degree of accumulated fat stored by 1st April in each year was a statistically significant predictor of departure date for the wintering population at Wexford. These data support the hypothesis that it is intrinsic factors (i.e. improvements in internal body state resulting from better feeding conditions) that has permitted progressively earlier departure of these geese from Wexford on spring migration, rather than amelioration of spring conditions in Iceland or solely the result of warming of the winter quarters.     

Spring migratory routes and stopover duration of satellite‐tracked Eurasian Teals Anas crecca wintering in Italy

Identifying an organism's migratory strategies and routes has important implications for conservation. For most species of European ducks, information on the general course of migration, revealed by ringing recoveries, is available, whereas tracking data on migratory movements are limited to the largest species. In the present paper, we report the results of a tracking study on 29 Eurasian Teals, the smallest European duck, captured during the wintering period at three Italian sites. The departure date of spring migration was determined for 21 individuals, and for 15 the entire spring migratory route was reconstructed. Most ducks departed from wintering grounds between mid‐February and March following straight and direct routes along the Black Sea‐Mediterranean flyway. The breeding sites, usually reached by May, were spread from central to north‐Eastern Europe to east of the Urals. The migratory speed was slow (approximately 36 km/day on average) because most birds stopped for several weeks at stopover sites, mainly in south‐eastern Europe, especially at the very beginning of migration. The active flight migration segments were covered at much higher speeds, up to 872 km/day. Stopover duration tended to be shorter when birds were closer to their breeding site. These results, based on the largest satellite tracking effort for this species, revealed for the first time the main features of the migratory strategies of individual Teals wintering in Europe, such as the migration timing and speed and stopover localization and duration.     

Comparative migration strategies of wild and captive‐bred Asian Houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii

For migratory species, the success of population reintroduction or reinforcement through captive‐bred released individuals depends on survivors undertaking appropriate migrations. We assess whether captive‐bred Asian Houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii from a breeding programme established with locally sourced individuals and released into suitable habitat during spring or summer undertake similar migrations to those of wild birds. Using satellite telemetry, we compare the migrations of 29 captive‐bred juveniles, 10 wild juveniles and 39 wild adults (including three birds first tracked as juveniles), examining migratory propensity (proportion migrating), timing, direction, stopover duration and frequency, efficiency (route deviation), and wintering and breeding season locations. Captive‐bred birds initiated autumn migration an average of 20.6 (±4.6 se) days later and wintered 470.8 km (±76.4) closer to the breeding grounds, mainly in Turkmenistan, northern Iran and Afghanistan, than wild birds, which migrated 1217.8 km (±76.4), predominantly wintering in southern Iran and Pakistan (juveniles and adults were similar). Wintering locations of four surviving captive‐bred birds were similar in subsequent years (median distance to first wintering site = 70.8 km, range 6.56–221.6 km), suggesting that individual captive‐bred birds (but not necessarily their progeny) remain faithful to their first wintering latitude. The migratory performance of captive‐bred birds was otherwise similar to that of wild juveniles. Although the long‐term fitness consequences for captive‐bred birds establishing wintering sites at the northern edge of those occupied by wild birds remain to be quantified, it is clear that the pattern of wild migrations established by long‐term selection is not replicated. If the shorter migration distance of young captive‐bred birds has a physiological rather than a genetic basis, then their progeny may still exhibit wild‐type migration. However, as there is a considerable genetic component to migration, captive breeding management must respect migratory population structure as well as natal and release‐site fidelity.     

Variation in songbird migratory behavior offers clues about adaptability to environmental change

For seasonally migrating birds, aspects of migratory behavior, such as the use of temperate versus tropical wintering areas, may influence their ability to respond to environmental change. Here, we infer potential flexibility in songbird migration from variation in two alternative stopover behaviors. Hierarchical Bayesian mark–recapture modeling was used to quantify stopover decisions over 19 years for four temperate and four tropical migratory species at a stopover site in southern Canada. Short-distance temperate migrants exhibited higher variability in behavior and greater responses to local weather than longer-distance tropical migrants, as measured by transience (the proportion of birds stopping <24 h, i.e. seeking brief sanctuary or subsequently relocating) and departure (re-initiation of migration by birds that stopped over for >24 h). In contrast to many previous works on climate–migration associations, annual variation in stopover behavior did not show strong links to broad-scale climatic fluctuations for either temperate or tropical migrants, nor was there any indication of directional changes in stopover behavior over the past two decades. In addition to suggesting that migratory songbirds—particularly tropical-wintering species—may face increasing threats with future climatic variability, our study highlights the potential importance of flexibility in en-route behavior for resilience to environmental change.     

Migration routes and stopover sites of Black-necked Cranes determined by satellite tracking

ABSTRACT.   Because their breeding and wintering areas are in remote locations, little is known about the biology of Black-necked Cranes ( Grus nigricollis ), including their migratory behavior. Using satellite telemetry, we monitored the migration of Black-necked Cranes ( N = 6) in China to determine migration routes and the location of stopover sites. From 2005 to 2007, four cranes were tracked during two spring migrations and one fall migration, one was tracked during one spring and one fall migration, and one was tracked during one spring migration. On average, the cranes made seven flights over a 5-d period to migrate 651 km to breeding areas in the spring. In the fall, birds averaged six flights in 5 d to migrate 694 km. The routes traveled by cranes during spring and autumn migration were similar. Both the migration distances and duration of migration are the shortest reported for any crane species to date. Most stopover sites were in areas along rivers and close to wetlands in the Daliang Mountains and the Ruoergai Plateau. Conservation measures are needed to reduce habitat loss (wetland and pasture) in the Daliang Mountains and establish a reserve for stopover sites in the Ruoergai marshes, such as Longriba and Bai River in Hongyuan County.     

Can conditions experienced during migration limit the population levels of birds?

Populations of migratory birds are usually considered to be limited by conditions in breeding or wintering areas, but some might be limited by conditions encountered on migration. This could occur at stopover sites where competition for restricted food supplies can reduce subsequent survival or breeding success, or during the flights themselves, when adverse weather can occasionally kill large numbers of individuals. Competition for food could act in a density-dependent manner and help to regulate populations, whereas weather effects are more likely to act in a density-independent manner. The evidence for these views is explored in this paper. When preparing for migration, birds must normally obtain more food per day than usual, in order to accumulate the body reserves that fuel their flights. Birds often concentrate in large numbers at particular stopover sites, where food can become scarce, thus affecting migratory performance. Rates of weight gain, departure weights, and stopover durations often correlate with food supplies at stopover sites, sometimes influencing the subsequent survival and reproductive success of individuals, which can in turn affect subsequent breeding numbers. Many studies have provided evidence for interference and depletion competition at stopover sites, relatively few for migration conditions influencing the subsequent breeding or survival of individuals, and even fewer for effects on subsequent breeding numbers. Migrants in flight occasionally suffer substantial mortality in storms, especially over water, sometimes involving many thousands of birds at a time. Other mass mortalities have resulted from atypical ‘winter-like’ weather, occurring soon after the arrival of summer migrants in their breeding areas or just before their departure in autumn. Again, many thousands of birds at a time have been killed in such incidents, causing reductions of 30–90% in local breeding densities. In some bird species, migration-related events can at times have substantial effects on the year-to-year changes in breeding population levels. Nonetheless, the difficulties involved in investigating migrating birds at different points on their migration routes have so far limited the number of studies on the influence of events during migration periods on population levels.     

Faster migration in autumn than in spring: seasonal migration patterns and non‐breeding distribution of Icelandic whimbrels Numenius phaeopus islandicus

Migration is fundamental in the life of many birds and entails significant energetic and time investments. Given the importance of arrival time in the breeding area and the relatively short period available to reproduce (particularly at high latitudes), it is expected that birds reduce spring migration duration to a greater extent than autumn migration, assuming that pressure to arrive into the wintering area might be relaxed. This has previously been shown for several avian groups, but recent evidence from four tracked Icelandic whimbrels Numenius phaeopus islandicus, a long distance migratory wader, suggests that this subspecies tends to migrate faster in autumn than in spring. Here, we 1) investigate differences in seasonal migration duration, migration speed and ground speed of whimbrels using 56 migrations from 19 individuals tracked with geolocators and 2) map the migration routes, wintering and stopover areas for this population. Tracking methods only provide temporal information on the migration period between departure and arrival. However, migration starts with the fuelling that takes place ahead of departure. Here we estimate the period of first fuelling using published fuel deposition rates and thus explore migration speed using tracking data. We found that migration duration was shorter in autumn than in spring. Migration speed was higher in autumn, with all individuals undertaking a direct flight to the wintering areas, while in spring most made a stopover. Wind patterns could drive whimbrels to stop in spring, but be more favourable during autumn migration and allow a direct flight. Additionally, the stopover might allow the appraisal of weather conditions closer to the breeding areas and/or improve body condition in order to arrive at the breeding sites with reserves.     

Environmental conditions at arrival to the wintering grounds and during spring migration affect population dynamics of barn swallows Hirundo rustica breeding in Northern Italy

Several populations of long-distance migratory birds are currently suffering steep demographic declines. The identification of the causes of such declines is difficult because population changes may be driven by events occurring in distant geographical areas during different phases of the annual life-cycle of migrants. Furthermore, wintering areas and migration routes of populations of small-sized species are still largely unknown, with few exceptions. In this paper we identified the critical phases of the annual life-cycle that most influence the population dynamics of a small passerine, the Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica. We used information on temporal dynamics of a population breeding in Northern Italy, whose wintering range and timing of migration have been recently described by miniaturised tracking dataloggers. Our results indicated that primary productivity in the wintering grounds in the month when most individuals arrive from autumn migration and primary productivity in an area that is probably a stopover site during spring migration, influenced population dynamics more than habitat conditions at the breeding grounds. By using annual variation in primary productivity at the wintering grounds and stopover sites as predictors, we replicated the observed interannual population changes with great accuracy. However, the steep decline recently suffered by the population could be replicated only by including a constant annual decline in the model, suggesting that changes in primary productivity only predicted the interannual variation around the long-term trend. Our study therefore suggests the existence of critical periods during wintering and migration that may have large impact on population fluctuations of migrant birds.     

Autumn migration of Montagu’s harriers Circus pygargus tracked by satellite telemetry

Although there is a general understanding of Montagu’s harriers migration routes and wintering areas, detailed information on the species’ migration is still lacking. However, improvements in satellite tracking technology in recent years, have enabled the study of medium-sized species by means of satellite telemetry. In 2006, ten adult Montagu’s harriers were fitted with satellite transmitters in northeastern Spain and tracked during their autumn migration to their wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa. The migration took between 10 and 30 days, and the end point was determined using breakpoint regressions. Whereas some birds had stopovers of more than a week, others stayed at the same site for only 1 or 2 days at the most. The tagged birds ultimately established at wintering grounds located along the border of Mauritania with Mali and Senegal, a distance of nearly 3000 km from the breeding sites. These sites are situated within a small range of latitudes (14° and 17°N), although distributed over a wider range of longitudes (−15°E and −4°E), with some birds occupying sites more than 1000 km apart. The distance covered in 1 day during the migration ranged between 93 and 219 km, with peaks of traveling speed of up to 65 km/h. Harriers were recorded traveling only during daytime, covering the longest distances in the late afternoon, suggesting that they are daytime migrants. Most of the distance was covered between 1500 and 2000 hours, and no traveling was recorded between 2000 and 0500 hours. During migration, harriers flew close to the ground (40–100 m on average). Improved knowledge of the harriers’ exact wintering sites may provide insights on the problems Montagu’s harriers face during the winter, highlighting the need to take into account what happens in both the breeding and wintering grounds to implement successful conservation measures.     

Staging site fidelity of Greenland White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons flavirostris in Iceland

Capsule Based upon resighting histories of marked individuals, a high level of site loyalty was found for Greenland White-fronted Geese staging in Icelandic stopover areas in spring and autumn.

Aims To determine levels of within- and between-season staging site fidelity, to assess whether offspring adopt the staging areas of their parents and to determine relationships between Icelandic staging areas and winter provenance of individuals.

Methods Sequential resighting histories and recoveries (2658 observations) of 415 different individually marked geese were analysed from the period 1986–99.

Results In spring, > 90% of goslings associated with parents and siblings and all goslings were subsequently seen <4 km from where they were first sighted with parents in spring. Ninety-six percent of all multiple within-spring resightings of 192 marked individuals were within 4 km of each other; three geese moved 88 km from the southern to the western staging areas. Four percent of the 45 marked geese seen in two consecutive springs and none of the 27 birds seen in consecutive autumns moved more than 4 km between years. By contrast, significantly more (12%) moved greater than 4 km in subsequent seasons between spring/autumn (n = 56) and autumn/spring (n = 49). All these individuals shifted to Hvanneyri Agricultural College in autumn, the only declared hunting-free area for Greenland White-fronted Geese. Based upon resighting histories and recoveries of shot birds, Scottish wintering birds were more likely to use southern staging areas, and Wexford (Ireland) wintering birds were generally more likely to be seen staging in the western lowlands in Iceland.

Conclusions Given the apparent cultural reinforcement of patterns of use of staging areas in Iceland, the high levels of site loyalty and the relatively limited exchange between southern and western staging areas, we argue for strategic refuge designation throughout both staging areas to protect the population.     

鸿雁迁徙对停歇地的选择特征

建立合理的湿地水鸟保护地是缓解水鸟栖息地丧失和种群下降的重要手段。以往的保护地设计中,由于越冬地和和繁殖地水鸟停留时间长、种群数量大,受到较多的关注。分析湿地水鸟对停歇地的选择偏好,掌握停歇地的自然条件和人类活动特征可为水鸟保护网络优化和保护地管理提供决策依据。而在水鸟迁徙过程中,停歇地作为保护网络的重要节点也发挥了重要作用。因此选择鸿雁为伞护种,获取了29只鸿雁项圈追踪数据,分析蒙古国Khukh湖-中国东北鸭绿江口秋季迁徙路线对停歇地生境选择偏好,识别了鸿雁在湿地周边不同距离梯度下的活动频率变化。根据鸿雁停歇数据共识别停歇地63处,以此为基础分析停歇的自然条件和人类活动因素特征。结果表明,鸿雁除选择湖泊和沼泽为停歇地外,周边250m内的裸地和草地也是重要栖息地;当鸿雁停歇地人类活动较少时,鸿雁倾向于选择土壤肥沃、食物丰富区,而人类活动强度加大时,栖息地植被条件提高能够为鸿雁提供遮避条件,也吸引了更多鸿雁停歇。研究建议,在水鸟迁徙重要廊道区应增加水鸟停歇地保护区,保护区的设计应根据关键保护对象活动频率加强对湿地周边的栖息地保护,减少水滨人类活动对鸿雁停歇的负面影响;在人类活动强度较大的地区设立水鸟保护地,还应加强对植被的保护,在水鸟利用频率较高的停歇地周边进行植被修复。     

Towards a new understanding of migration timing: slower spring than autumn migration in geese reflects different decision rules for stopover use and departure

According to migration theory and several empirical studies, long‐distance migrants are more time‐limited during spring migration and should therefore migrate faster in spring than in autumn. Competition for the best breeding sites is supposed to be the main driver, but timing of migration is often also influenced by environmental factors such as food availability and wind conditions. Using GPS tags, we tracked 65 greater white‐fronted geese Anser albifrons migrating between western Europe and the Russian Arctic during spring and autumn migration over six different years. Contrary to theory, our birds took considerably longer for spring migration (83 days) than autumn migration (42 days). This difference in duration was mainly determined by time spent at stopovers. Timing and space use during migration suggest that the birds were using different strategies in the two seasons: In spring they spread out in a wide front to acquire extra energy stores in many successive stopover sites (to fuel capital breeding), which is in accordance with previous results that white‐fronted geese follow the green wave of spring growth. In autumn they filled up their stores close to the breeding grounds and waited for supportive wind conditions to quickly move to their wintering grounds. Selection for supportive winds was stronger in autumn, when general wind conditions were less favourable than in spring, leading to similar flight speeds in the two seasons. In combination with less stopover time in autumn this led to faster autumn than spring migration. White‐fronted geese thus differ from theory that spring migration is faster than autumn migration. We expect our findings of different decision rules between the two migratory seasons to apply more generally, in particular in large birds in which capital breeding is common, and in birds that meet other environmental conditions along their migration route in autumn than in spring.     

Wild bird migration across the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau: a transmission route for highly pathogenic H5N1

Background

Qinghai Lake in central China has been at the center of debate on whether wild birds play a role in circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1. In 2005, an unprecedented epizootic at Qinghai Lake killed more than 6000 migratory birds including over 3000 bar-headed geese (Anser indicus). H5N1 subsequently spread to Europe and Africa, and in following years has re-emerged in wild birds along the Central Asia flyway several times.

Methodology/Principal Findings

To better understand the potential involvement of wild birds in the spread of H5N1, we studied the movements of bar-headed geese marked with GPS satellite transmitters at Qinghai Lake in relation to virus outbreaks and disease risk factors. We discovered a previously undocumented migratory pathway between Qinghai Lake and the Lhasa Valley of Tibet where 93% of the 29 marked geese overwintered. From 2003–2009, sixteen outbreaks in poultry or wild birds were confirmed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the majority were located within the migratory pathway of the geese. Spatial and temporal concordance between goose movements and three potential H5N1 virus sources (poultry farms, a captive bar-headed goose facility, and H5N1 outbreak locations) indicated ample opportunities existed for virus spillover and infection of migratory geese on the wintering grounds. Their potential as a vector of H5N1 was supported by rapid migration movements of some geese and genetic relatedness of H5N1 virus isolated from geese in Tibet and Qinghai Lake.

Conclusions/Significance

This is the first study to compare phylogenetics of the virus with spatial ecology of its host, and the combined results suggest that wild birds play a role in the spread of H5N1 in this region. However, the strength of the evidence would be improved with additional sequences from both poultry and wild birds on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau where H5N1 has a clear stronghold.     

Migratory pathways,stopover zones and wintering destinations of Western European Nightjars Caprimulgus europaeus

Little is known about the wintering distribution of the European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus. We combined geolocator and GPS‐logger data from different sites in Western Europe to analyse migration routes and migration timing of this trans‐equatorial migrant. Nightjars followed a loop migration route during which they cross two ecological barriers, and converged near common stopover zones in Northern, Central and Western Africa, where they stayed for 2–3 weeks. Nightjars used the same stopover sites as several other European migrants, relying on small and discrete wintering areas within the Democratic Republic of Congo. This confirms the importance of these specific zones and highlights the vulnerability of Western European populations to habitat loss in their non‐breeding areas.     

Eggs brought in from afar: Svalbard‐breeding pink‐footed geese can fly their eggs across the Barents Sea

Many Arctic‐breeding waterbirds are thought to bring nutrients for egg production from southern latitudes to allow early breeding. It has proved problematic to quantify the extent of such capital breeding and identify whether nutrients for egg production are brought in from nearby or from afar. Before reaching their breeding grounds on Svalbard, pink‐footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus fly ～ 1100 km across the Barents Sea from Norway. Using abdominal profile indexing (API) we scored body stores in individually marked geese just prior to migration from the northernmost staging area in Norway to Svalbard, followed by their breeding success on their non‐breeding grounds in autumn. In productive breeding years leading to a high (> 13.8%) proportion of juveniles in the autumn population, there was a positive relationship between female API and number of young produced, suggesting that the geese are at least partial capital breeders. Moreover, focusing on the geographic origin of proteins used in egg synthesis and measuring nitrogen stable isotope ratios in pink‐footed geese's eggs and food sources in Norway and Svalbard, we identified that capital breeding in this species is ～ 50% on average but may potentially amount to as much as 100%, notably in females laying early. About 60% of this protein capital is carried in well‐developed follicles across the Barents Sea, the remainder likely being stored in muscle tissues. Conditions on the wintering grounds and migratory stopover sites can have profound effects on an individual's fitness but the here presented link between the use of migratory stopover sites and breeding performance is particularly noteworthy. Apparently, some individuals accept the putative costs of carrying body stores over large distances to the breeding grounds. The data also highlights considerable variation in the reliance on capital for breeding, suggesting substantial individual scope to adjust breeding strategy to changing environmental conditions.