TY - JOUR
T1 - Insights into the migration of the European Roller from ring recoveries
AU - Finch, Tom
AU - Dunning, Jamie
AU - Kiss, Orsolya
AU - Račinskis, Edmunds
AU - Schwartz, Timothée
AU - Sniauksta, Laimonas
AU - Szekeres, Otto
AU - Tokody, Bela
AU - Franco, Aldina
AU - Butler, Simon
N1 - Finch, T., Dunning, J., Kiss, O. et al. J Ornithol (2017) 158: 83. doi:10.1007/s10336-016-1374-y
© The Author(s) 2016
Open Access:
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PY - 2017/1
Y1 - 2017/1
N2 - Here we present the first international analysis of ring recovery data in the European Roller - a long distance migrant of conservation concern - comprising 58 records of Rollers ringed during the breeding season and recovered during the non-breeding season. Most records come from eastern Europe, half are of juveniles and over three quarters are of dead birds. Thus, ring recoveries provide migration data for cohorts of Rollers - juveniles and unsuccessful migrants - for which no information currently exists, complementing recent tracking studies. Qualitatively, our results are consistent with direct tracking studies, illustrating a broad-front migration across the Mediterranean basin in autumn and the use of the Arabian Peninsula by Rollers from eastern populations in spring. Autumn movements were, on average, in a more southerly direction for juveniles than adults, which were more easterly. After the exclusion of outliers, juvenile movements were also more variable. This is consistent with juveniles following a naïve vector-based orientation program, and perhaps explains the 'moderate' migratory connectivity previously described for the Roller. The recovery age ratio was juvenile-biased in autumn but adult-biased in spring. Although this difference was not significant, it points towards a higher non-breeding season mortality of juveniles than adults. We also provide the first (qualitative) analysis of causes of non-breeding season mortality, highlighting the high prevalence of shooting.
AB - Here we present the first international analysis of ring recovery data in the European Roller - a long distance migrant of conservation concern - comprising 58 records of Rollers ringed during the breeding season and recovered during the non-breeding season. Most records come from eastern Europe, half are of juveniles and over three quarters are of dead birds. Thus, ring recoveries provide migration data for cohorts of Rollers - juveniles and unsuccessful migrants - for which no information currently exists, complementing recent tracking studies. Qualitatively, our results are consistent with direct tracking studies, illustrating a broad-front migration across the Mediterranean basin in autumn and the use of the Arabian Peninsula by Rollers from eastern populations in spring. Autumn movements were, on average, in a more southerly direction for juveniles than adults, which were more easterly. After the exclusion of outliers, juvenile movements were also more variable. This is consistent with juveniles following a naïve vector-based orientation program, and perhaps explains the 'moderate' migratory connectivity previously described for the Roller. The recovery age ratio was juvenile-biased in autumn but adult-biased in spring. Although this difference was not significant, it points towards a higher non-breeding season mortality of juveniles than adults. We also provide the first (qualitative) analysis of causes of non-breeding season mortality, highlighting the high prevalence of shooting.
U2 - 10.1007/s10336-016-1374-y
DO - 10.1007/s10336-016-1374-y
M3 - Article
VL - 158
SP - 83
EP - 90
JO - Journal of Ornithology
JF - Journal of Ornithology
SN - 0021-8375
IS - 1
ER -