摘要
Citizen scienee data have already been used to effectively address questions regarding migration,a fun dame ntal stage in the life history of birds.In this study,we use data from eBird and from 3 additional regional citizen scienee databases to describe the migration routes and timing of the red-footed falcon Falco vespertinus in the Mediterranean region across 8years(2010-2017).We further examine the seasonal and yearly variation in migration patterns and explore sites used during the species migration.Our results suggest that the autumn passage is spatially less variable and temporally more consistent among years than in spring and that birds migrate faster in spring than in autumn.The species seems to be more prevalent along the Central Mediterranean during spring migration,probably as a result of the clockwise loop migration that red-footed falcons perform.There was a high variation in annual median migration dates for both seasons as well as in migration routes across years and seasons.Higher variation was exhibited in the longitudinal component thus indicating flexibility in migration routes.In additi on,our results showed the species'preference for I owl a nds covered with cropla nd and mosaics of cropland and natural vegetation as stopover sites during migration.Stopover areas predicted from our distribution modeling highlight the importance of the Mediterranean islands as stopover sites for sea-crossing raptors,such as the red-footed falcon.This study is the first to provide a broad-scale spatiotemporal perspective on the species migration across seasons,years and flyways and dem on strates how citize n science data can inform future monitori ng and conservation strategies.
基金
This article is in memoriam of our beloved friend and colleague Michele Panuccio and his passion for raptor migration.We are thankful to Triantafyllos Akriotis,Vasileios Bontzorlos,Thord Fransson,Giannis Gasteratos,Nikolaos Katsimanis,Elli Navarette,Diego Rubolini,Victoria Saravia,and Nikos Tsiopelas for helping with data collection.Peter Palatitz and 3 anonymous reviewers provided valuable comments on a previous draft of this manuscript.We acknowledge the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for hosting eBird and providing free access to researchers as well as the thousands of birders that contribute their sightings to eBird and other citizen science platforms.
