Climate change impacts bird migration phenology,causing changes in departure and arrival dates,leading to potential mismatches between migration and other key seasonal constraints.While the impacts of climate change o...Climate change impacts bird migration phenology,causing changes in departure and arrival dates,leading to potential mismatches between migration and other key seasonal constraints.While the impacts of climate change on arrival at breeding grounds have been relatively well documented,little is known about the impacts of climate change on post-breeding migration,especially at stopover sites.Here we use long-term(11 years)banding data(11,118 captures)from 7 species at Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve in Hong Kong,a key stopover site for migratory birds along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway,to describe long-term changes in migration phenology and to compare observed changes to annual weather variation.We also examine changes in wing length over a longer time period(1985–2020)as wing length often correlates positively with migration distance.We found that observed changes in migratory phenology vary by species;three species had later estimated arrival(by 1.8 days per year),peak(by 2.6 days per year)or departure(by 2.5 days per year),one showed an earlier peak date(by 1.8days per year)and two showed longer duration of passage(2.7 days longer and 3.2 days longer per year).Three species exhibited no long-term change in migration phenology.For two of the four species with shifting phenology,temperature was an important predictor of changing peak date,departure dates and duration of passage.Wing length was shorter in three species and longer in two species,but these changes did not correlate with observed phenological changes.The complex changes observed here are indicative of the challenges concerning the detection of climate change in migratory stopover sites.Continued monitoring and a better understanding of the dynamics of all sites in the migratory pathway will aid conservation of these species under global change.展开更多
Long-distance migratory birds often face major geographical barriers on their journey.While some species are able to cross them,others use longer routes to avoid such barriers.Little is known about the strategies of S...Long-distance migratory birds often face major geographical barriers on their journey.While some species are able to cross them,others use longer routes to avoid such barriers.Little is known about the strategies of Siberian landbird migrants,which either cross or circumvent the deserts and mountain ranges of Central Asia en route to their non-breeding sites in Southeast Asia.Here we compare data on migration phenology and morphology from two bird ringing stations in eastern Russia,situated at similar latitudes but with a longitudinal difference of 1500 km,to hypothesise migration patterns.We found significant differences in timing between the two sites(birds migrated significantly earlier in spring and significantly later in autumn in the east),suggesting longitudinal migration as a result of migration detour.However,morphological differences show a less clear pattern.We argue that most Siberian landbirds might opt for a detour through the Russian Far East instead of a direct route in order to avoid unfavourable stop-over habitat in Central Asia.However,tracking studies will be necessary to prove this.展开更多
China’s coastal wetlands provide breeding,migration stopover,and wintering habitats for about 230 waterbird species,which is more than a quarter of all waterbirds in the world.Large-scale and high intensity human act...China’s coastal wetlands provide breeding,migration stopover,and wintering habitats for about 230 waterbird species,which is more than a quarter of all waterbirds in the world.Large-scale and high intensity human activities have resulted in serious loss and degradation of coastal wetlands over the past half century,causing population declines in many waterbirds.Through a literature review and expert surveys,this article reviews conservation measures taken in recent decades to protect waterbirds in China’s coastal wetlands and provides recommendations for future conservation action from three aspects:policy and administration,habitat conservation and management,and multiparty participation.Over the past decades,many conservation legislation,regulations and action plans at the national level and more site-specific measures and interventions have been implemented,with notable improvement in the effectiveness in policy making and multi-stakeholder participation.Accordingly,some threats to waterbirds have been mitigated and many key sites for waterbirds have been designated as strictly protected nature reserves.However,some critical issues still remain,mostly related to habitat conservation and management,such as coastal wetland restoration,control of invasive Spartina alterniflora,control of environmental pollution,and improvement of artificial habitat quality.We highlight that protecting natural tidal wetlands and improving habitat quality are critical for the conservation of coastal waterbirds,especially those highly dependent on the intertidal wetlands.China has demonstrated strong commitment to ecological conservation and restoration for the future,in terms of both funding and policies for biodiversity and wetland ecosystems.It is important that this commitment to conserve coastal waterbirds is supported continuously by science-and evidence-based decisions and actions.展开更多
Until recently,Limosa limosa melanuroides was thought to be the only subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.For this reason,all previous occurrences and counts of Black-tailed Godwits ...Until recently,Limosa limosa melanuroides was thought to be the only subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.For this reason,all previous occurrences and counts of Black-tailed Godwits in the flyway have been assigned to melanuroides.However,a larger-bodied subspecies,bohaii,has recently been discovered in the flyway.As a result,the occurrence of Black-tailed Godwits in the flyway needs to be reconsidered such that the specific distribution of each subspecies becomes known.To this end,we developed a simple discriminant function to assign individuals to subspecies based on their bill and wing length.Cross-validation with individuals known to be bohaii or melanuroides,based on molecular analysis,showed the developed function to be 97.7%accurate.When applied to measurements of godwits captured at 22 sites across 9 countries in East-Southeast Asia and Australia,we found that bohaii and melanuroides occurred at most sites and overlapped in their distribution from Kamchatka to Australia.We examined photos from all along the flyway to verify this surprising result,confirming that both subspecies co-occur in most locations.Based on these results,we hypothesise that bohaii and melanuroides from the west of their breeding ranges mostly migrate over Chinese mainland.Birds of both subspecies from the east of their ranges are expected to migrate along the Pacific Ocean.We encourage ringing groups in East-Southeast Asia and Australia to use this simple method to keep adding knowledge about Black-tailed Godwits in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.展开更多
Background:Avian migrants moving between common breeding and wintering areas may adopt different migration routes,and consequently affect timing.However,this pattern has rarely been investigated,especially in waterbir...Background:Avian migrants moving between common breeding and wintering areas may adopt different migration routes,and consequently affect timing.However,this pattern has rarely been investigated,especially in waterbirds.Moreover,autumn migration patterns of the Common Shelduck(Tadorna tadorna) have never been studied.Methods:We used GPS transmitters to track,for the first time,the autumn migration of the Common Shelduck in East Asia(n = 14).Results:The Common Shelduck undertook a broadly northwest–southeast autumn migration,taking a mean of 91.7 ± 38.7(SD) days to cover a mean distance of 1712.9 ± 450.5 km at a speed of 89.4 ± 226.5 km/day.The birds used 2.5 ± 1.8 stopover sites,and the total stopover duration was 81.9 ± 38.7 days.There were considerable betweenindividual variations in the onset(24 August to 28 September) and completion(29 September to 11 January) of migration,distance(1070.2–2396.4 km),speed(14.7-734.0 km/day),the index of straightness(0.6-1.0),duration(1.5-151.8 days),stopover times(0-5) and total stopover durations(0-148.1).More direct migration routes were associated with fewer and shorter stopovers(p = 0.003 in both cases).Post-breeding and wintering site habitat use was similar between individuals,whereas stopover site habitat use varied considerably within and between individuals.Conclusions:Our study showed remarkable variability in Shelduck migration patterns,which was likely associated with refuelling patterns en route.To understand fully the migration diversity and flexibility of habitat-use,we need to track more birds to increase representativeness,using accelerometer-integrated transmitters to investigate behaviours in different habitats.展开更多
Background: Departure decisions and behaviors of migratory birds at stopover sites are expected to maximize fit?ness by trade?offs among avoiding predators, optimizing refueling(energy) capacity, and matching other li...Background: Departure decisions and behaviors of migratory birds at stopover sites are expected to maximize fit?ness by trade?offs among avoiding predators, optimizing refueling(energy) capacity, and matching other life?history events. We predict that species with different body sizes and migratory destinations will exhibit different behaviors when departing from the same stopover site. We also predict that with strong time constraint at the final pre?breed?ing stopover site, departure decisions may be less sensitive to exogenous factors, such as wind condition, compared to other stopover or nonbreeding sites.Methods: We recorded migratory departures of four shorebird species, i.e. Eurasian Curlew(Numenius arquata), Bar?tailed Godwit(Limosa lapponica), Great Knot(Calidris tenuirostris), and Grey Plover(Pluvialis squatarola), at Yaluji?ang Estuary Wetlands in China, a final pre?breeding stopover site in the northern Yellow Sea, from 2011 to 2014. We compared flock sizes, departure time and departure directions between species, and investigated the effects of tide and weather conditions(rain and ground wind speed and direction) on the departure decision of shorebirds.Results: We found that larger species departed in smaller flocks and were more variable in daily departure time. Departure trajectory of all four species appeared to be influenced by coastal topography. With the east–west coast?line and intertidal mudflat on the south, birds exhibited westward or eastward deflection from the shortest migra?tory routes. Bar?tailed Godwit was the only species that deviated to the southeast and did not climb over the land. Birds avoided departure during precipitation, while their departure was not related to ground wind benefit or tidal condition.Conclusions: Body size among species, which influences their vulnerability to predators, might be important in shaping shorebird departure strategies. Diverse departure directions could be the result of different wind use tac?tics in climbing stage. Narrow optimal time window of breeding might lead to reduced flexibility in departure date at a final pre?breeding site. Both endogenous and exogenous are important in shaping departure behaviors and decisions.展开更多
Background: Weather effects on bird migration are well-studied among Passerines moving from Europe to Africa or within the American flyway systems. However, little is known about the weather impact on songbirds migrat...Background: Weather effects on bird migration are well-studied among Passerines moving from Europe to Africa or within the American flyway systems. However, little is known about the weather impact on songbirds migrating along the East Asian flyway. Our study aims to describe the effects of various weather elements on the migration of four species of leaf warblers by using bird ringing data from a stopover site in Far East Russia.Methods: We determined the migration periods for each species and included maximum temperature, precipitation, air pressure, wind speed and wind direction in general linearized mixed models to predict the number of migrating birds.Results: We found strong impacts of weather variables on the number of trapped warblers during spring and autumn migration. Preferred or avoided weather conditions were similar among the studied species. All species seem to migrate preferably during warm, calm days without precipitation. A positive effect of tail winds was only confirmed in autumn, but in spring, most birds were trapped during crosswinds(eastern or western winds).Conclusion: The studied species might exhibit a loop migration, leading to a more longitudinal(from east to west) migration pattern in our study area during spring. Relationships between weather variables and the number of migrating individuals were much stronger during autumn. We argue that birds during spring migration would continue migration under sub-optimal conditions, as a result of strong competition to arrive earliest on their breeding grounds.展开更多
基金Funding was provided by an RAE Improvement Grant to(TCB)from the Faculty of Science at The University of Hong Kong。
文摘Climate change impacts bird migration phenology,causing changes in departure and arrival dates,leading to potential mismatches between migration and other key seasonal constraints.While the impacts of climate change on arrival at breeding grounds have been relatively well documented,little is known about the impacts of climate change on post-breeding migration,especially at stopover sites.Here we use long-term(11 years)banding data(11,118 captures)from 7 species at Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve in Hong Kong,a key stopover site for migratory birds along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway,to describe long-term changes in migration phenology and to compare observed changes to annual weather variation.We also examine changes in wing length over a longer time period(1985–2020)as wing length often correlates positively with migration distance.We found that observed changes in migratory phenology vary by species;three species had later estimated arrival(by 1.8 days per year),peak(by 2.6 days per year)or departure(by 2.5 days per year),one showed an earlier peak date(by 1.8days per year)and two showed longer duration of passage(2.7 days longer and 3.2 days longer per year).Three species exhibited no long-term change in migration phenology.For two of the four species with shifting phenology,temperature was an important predictor of changing peak date,departure dates and duration of passage.Wing length was shorter in three species and longer in two species,but these changes did not correlate with observed phenological changes.The complex changes observed here are indicative of the challenges concerning the detection of climate change in migratory stopover sites.Continued monitoring and a better understanding of the dynamics of all sites in the migratory pathway will aid conservation of these species under global change.
基金Funding supply on Baikal Bird Ringing Station was conducted by Baikalsky State Nature Reserve。
文摘Long-distance migratory birds often face major geographical barriers on their journey.While some species are able to cross them,others use longer routes to avoid such barriers.Little is known about the strategies of Siberian landbird migrants,which either cross or circumvent the deserts and mountain ranges of Central Asia en route to their non-breeding sites in Southeast Asia.Here we compare data on migration phenology and morphology from two bird ringing stations in eastern Russia,situated at similar latitudes but with a longitudinal difference of 1500 km,to hypothesise migration patterns.We found significant differences in timing between the two sites(birds migrated significantly earlier in spring and significantly later in autumn in the east),suggesting longitudinal migration as a result of migration detour.However,morphological differences show a less clear pattern.We argue that most Siberian landbirds might opt for a detour through the Russian Far East instead of a direct route in order to avoid unfavourable stop-over habitat in Central Asia.However,tracking studies will be necessary to prove this.
基金financially supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFF1301004)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31830089 and 32170518)TP’s work in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway through Global Flyway Network was supported by WWF-Netherlands,the MAVA Foundation and many other benefactors
文摘China’s coastal wetlands provide breeding,migration stopover,and wintering habitats for about 230 waterbird species,which is more than a quarter of all waterbirds in the world.Large-scale and high intensity human activities have resulted in serious loss and degradation of coastal wetlands over the past half century,causing population declines in many waterbirds.Through a literature review and expert surveys,this article reviews conservation measures taken in recent decades to protect waterbirds in China’s coastal wetlands and provides recommendations for future conservation action from three aspects:policy and administration,habitat conservation and management,and multiparty participation.Over the past decades,many conservation legislation,regulations and action plans at the national level and more site-specific measures and interventions have been implemented,with notable improvement in the effectiveness in policy making and multi-stakeholder participation.Accordingly,some threats to waterbirds have been mitigated and many key sites for waterbirds have been designated as strictly protected nature reserves.However,some critical issues still remain,mostly related to habitat conservation and management,such as coastal wetland restoration,control of invasive Spartina alterniflora,control of environmental pollution,and improvement of artificial habitat quality.We highlight that protecting natural tidal wetlands and improving habitat quality are critical for the conservation of coastal waterbirds,especially those highly dependent on the intertidal wetlands.China has demonstrated strong commitment to ecological conservation and restoration for the future,in terms of both funding and policies for biodiversity and wetland ecosystems.It is important that this commitment to conserve coastal waterbirds is supported continuously by science-and evidence-based decisions and actions.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[31830089,31801985,32270518]。
文摘Until recently,Limosa limosa melanuroides was thought to be the only subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.For this reason,all previous occurrences and counts of Black-tailed Godwits in the flyway have been assigned to melanuroides.However,a larger-bodied subspecies,bohaii,has recently been discovered in the flyway.As a result,the occurrence of Black-tailed Godwits in the flyway needs to be reconsidered such that the specific distribution of each subspecies becomes known.To this end,we developed a simple discriminant function to assign individuals to subspecies based on their bill and wing length.Cross-validation with individuals known to be bohaii or melanuroides,based on molecular analysis,showed the developed function to be 97.7%accurate.When applied to measurements of godwits captured at 22 sites across 9 countries in East-Southeast Asia and Australia,we found that bohaii and melanuroides occurred at most sites and overlapped in their distribution from Kamchatka to Australia.We examined photos from all along the flyway to verify this surprising result,confirming that both subspecies co-occur in most locations.Based on these results,we hypothesise that bohaii and melanuroides from the west of their breeding ranges mostly migrate over Chinese mainland.Birds of both subspecies from the east of their ranges are expected to migrate along the Pacific Ocean.We encourage ringing groups in East-Southeast Asia and Australia to use this simple method to keep adding knowledge about Black-tailed Godwits in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2017YFC0505800)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.31661143027,31670424,31500315)China Biodiversity Observation Networks(Sino BON)
文摘Background:Avian migrants moving between common breeding and wintering areas may adopt different migration routes,and consequently affect timing.However,this pattern has rarely been investigated,especially in waterbirds.Moreover,autumn migration patterns of the Common Shelduck(Tadorna tadorna) have never been studied.Methods:We used GPS transmitters to track,for the first time,the autumn migration of the Common Shelduck in East Asia(n = 14).Results:The Common Shelduck undertook a broadly northwest–southeast autumn migration,taking a mean of 91.7 ± 38.7(SD) days to cover a mean distance of 1712.9 ± 450.5 km at a speed of 89.4 ± 226.5 km/day.The birds used 2.5 ± 1.8 stopover sites,and the total stopover duration was 81.9 ± 38.7 days.There were considerable betweenindividual variations in the onset(24 August to 28 September) and completion(29 September to 11 January) of migration,distance(1070.2–2396.4 km),speed(14.7-734.0 km/day),the index of straightness(0.6-1.0),duration(1.5-151.8 days),stopover times(0-5) and total stopover durations(0-148.1).More direct migration routes were associated with fewer and shorter stopovers(p = 0.003 in both cases).Post-breeding and wintering site habitat use was similar between individuals,whereas stopover site habitat use varied considerably within and between individuals.Conclusions:Our study showed remarkable variability in Shelduck migration patterns,which was likely associated with refuelling patterns en route.To understand fully the migration diversity and flexibility of habitat-use,we need to track more birds to increase representativeness,using accelerometer-integrated transmitters to investigate behaviours in different habitats.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31071939,31572280,and 31772467)
文摘Background: Departure decisions and behaviors of migratory birds at stopover sites are expected to maximize fit?ness by trade?offs among avoiding predators, optimizing refueling(energy) capacity, and matching other life?history events. We predict that species with different body sizes and migratory destinations will exhibit different behaviors when departing from the same stopover site. We also predict that with strong time constraint at the final pre?breed?ing stopover site, departure decisions may be less sensitive to exogenous factors, such as wind condition, compared to other stopover or nonbreeding sites.Methods: We recorded migratory departures of four shorebird species, i.e. Eurasian Curlew(Numenius arquata), Bar?tailed Godwit(Limosa lapponica), Great Knot(Calidris tenuirostris), and Grey Plover(Pluvialis squatarola), at Yaluji?ang Estuary Wetlands in China, a final pre?breeding stopover site in the northern Yellow Sea, from 2011 to 2014. We compared flock sizes, departure time and departure directions between species, and investigated the effects of tide and weather conditions(rain and ground wind speed and direction) on the departure decision of shorebirds.Results: We found that larger species departed in smaller flocks and were more variable in daily departure time. Departure trajectory of all four species appeared to be influenced by coastal topography. With the east–west coast?line and intertidal mudflat on the south, birds exhibited westward or eastward deflection from the shortest migra?tory routes. Bar?tailed Godwit was the only species that deviated to the southeast and did not climb over the land. Birds avoided departure during precipitation, while their departure was not related to ground wind benefit or tidal condition.Conclusions: Body size among species, which influences their vulnerability to predators, might be important in shaping shorebird departure strategies. Diverse departure directions could be the result of different wind use tac?tics in climbing stage. Narrow optimal time window of breeding might lead to reduced flexibility in departure date at a final pre?breeding site. Both endogenous and exogenous are important in shaping departure behaviors and decisions.
基金supported by the German Ornithologists’Society,the Forderkreis Allgemeine Naturkunde(Biologie)e.V.and the NABU RVE e.VLB’s work was supported by the Campus Hungary Studentship and the Hungarian National Young Talent Studentship
文摘Background: Weather effects on bird migration are well-studied among Passerines moving from Europe to Africa or within the American flyway systems. However, little is known about the weather impact on songbirds migrating along the East Asian flyway. Our study aims to describe the effects of various weather elements on the migration of four species of leaf warblers by using bird ringing data from a stopover site in Far East Russia.Methods: We determined the migration periods for each species and included maximum temperature, precipitation, air pressure, wind speed and wind direction in general linearized mixed models to predict the number of migrating birds.Results: We found strong impacts of weather variables on the number of trapped warblers during spring and autumn migration. Preferred or avoided weather conditions were similar among the studied species. All species seem to migrate preferably during warm, calm days without precipitation. A positive effect of tail winds was only confirmed in autumn, but in spring, most birds were trapped during crosswinds(eastern or western winds).Conclusion: The studied species might exhibit a loop migration, leading to a more longitudinal(from east to west) migration pattern in our study area during spring. Relationships between weather variables and the number of migrating individuals were much stronger during autumn. We argue that birds during spring migration would continue migration under sub-optimal conditions, as a result of strong competition to arrive earliest on their breeding grounds.
