Authors: Daniel R. Ruthrauff, T. Lee Tibbitts, and Robert E. Gill, Jr
Year: 2019
Publication: The Auk
Publication Link: https://academic.oup.com/auk/article-abstract/136/1/uky007/5322226
Access: Subscription
Affiliations: U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Corresponding Author: druthrauff@usgs.gov
Funding: Funding for this project was provided by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Ecosystems mission area
Keywords: individual flexibility, migratory connectivity, migratory timing, repeatability, site fidelity
Abstract: The study of avian movement has detailed a spectrum of strategies for the timing and use of sites throughout the annual cycle, from near randomness to complete consistency. New tracking devices now permit the repeated tracking of individual animals throughout the annual cycle, detailing previously unappreciated levels of variation within migratory systems. Godwits (genus Limosa) have featured prominently in studies of avian migration, but information derived from repeated tracking of individuals is limited. The Marbled Godwit subspecies Limosa fedoa beringiae breeds on the central Alaska Peninsula, and little is known about basic aspects of its migration ecology, including the repeatability with which this population times its annual migratory movements or uses migratory and nonbreeding sites. To address these questions, we equipped 9 Marbled Godwits breeding at a site near Ugashik, Alaska, with solar-powered satellite transmitters. We tracked individuals from July, 2008 to October, 2015 and obtained repeat migratory tracks from 5 of these birds. Individuals exhibited
high fidelity to breeding, nonbreeding, and migratory stopover sites across years, but in contrast to congeners that conduct consistently timed, long, nonstop migrations, beringiae Marbled Godwits exhibited low levels of individual- or population level repeatability in the timing of migratory movements. Their relatively short migrations may enable the integration of local environmental cues, potentially facilitating individual flexibility in the timing of annual migratory movements. Curiously, if local cues ultimately drive the timing of Marbled Godwit migratory movements, the population’s relatively constrained distribution during both the breeding and nonbreeding season should serve to synchronize birds if they are responding to similar cues. That our sample of Marbled Godwits nonetheless exhibited within- and between-year variation in the timing of their migratory movements suggests a complex integration of annually variable internal and external cues.
Supplementary Material: None listed
Intrusive Methodologies: Birds captured, banded with metal band and leg flag. Each bird fitted with satellite transmitter that represented 3.5-4.5% of body mass.
Citizen Science: None
Conservation: Results have conservation implications but not specifically discussed.