Revisiting the Proposed Leap-Frog Migration of Bar-Tailed Godwits along the East-Atlantic Flyway

[摘要] TwopopulationsofBar-tailedGodwitsLimosalapponicaoccuralongtheEast-AtlanticFlyway.TheEuropeanpopulation(L.l.lapponica)issupposedtobreedinnorthernScandinaviaandhasbeensuggestedtoonlywinterinEurope.TheAfro—Siberianpopulation(taymyrensis)issupposedtobreedinNorthernSiberiaandisthoughttowinterexclusivelyinWestAfrica.Ananalysisof946metalringrecoveriesaccumulatedbyEURING(withdatagoingbackto1935),incombinationwithananalysisofover13,000resightingsofalmost4000individualsmarkedwithcolour-ringsin2001–2010,enabledustoexaminewhetherthereisevidenceforoverlapofthepopulationsinsummerandwinter.Nearlyallmarkedindividualsbehavedaccordingtothepreviouslysuggestedleap-frogmigrationpattern.Onthebasisofthepresentsample,only0.8%of(colour)ringedbirdsthatwererecoveredand/orresightedonthewinteringgroundsinEuropeorWest-Africamadeachangebetweenthetwosupposedwinteringareas.Thisisfarlessthanwaspreviouslyestimatedonthebasisofbiometricdata.Thedistinctmigratorybehaviourofthetwopopulationsmakesthemnear-completelyseparatedinsummerandwinter.TheBar-tailedGodwitalongtheEast-AtlanticFlywaythusexhibitsaclearleap-frogmigration,inwhichtheSiberianbreederswintersouthoftheEuropeanbreeders.

[学科分类] 动物科学

[关键词] Limosa Lapponica