Ecological conditions during winter predict arrival date at the breeding quarters in a trans-Saharan migratory bird |
| |
Authors: | Nicola Saino ,Tibor Szé p,Maria Romano,Diego Rubolini,Fernando Spina, Anders Pape Mø ller |
| |
Affiliation: | Dipartimento di Biologia, Universitàdi Milano, Via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milano, Italy; Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Nyíregyháza, P. O. Box 166, H-4401 Nyíregyháza, Hungary; Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Universitàdi Pavia, P.zza Botta 9, I-27100 Pavia, Italy; Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica, Via Ca' Fornacetta 9, I-40064 Ozzano Emilia (BO), Italy; Laboratoire de Parasitologie Evolutive, CNRS UMR 7103, UniversitéPierre et Marie Curie, 7 quai St Bernard, Case 237, F-75252 Paris Cedex 05, France |
| |
Abstract: | We studied variation in arrival date to the breeding colonies in Italy of a trans‐Saharan migratory bird, the barn swallow Hirundo rustica, in relation to variation in ecological conditions, as reflected by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), in the winter quarters. Arrival date of old but not young individuals captured during consecutive breeding seasons was earlier after winters with favourable conditions. Change in arrival date in relation to change in NDVI was similar in the two sexes. Change in arrival date significantly and positively predicted change in breeding date. As a result of increased frequency of second broods determined by earlier arrival, the number of fledged offspring per season was larger after African winters with good in comparison to poor ecological conditions for barn swallows. This is the first study demonstrating phenotypic plasticity in migration phenology of a long‐distance migratory bird in relation to ecological conditions during wintering. |
| |
Keywords: | Arrival date barn swallow bird migration breeding date breeding success Hirundo rustica long-distance migration normalized difference vegetation index population dynamics |
|
|