Flexible timing of annual movements across consistently used sites by Marbled Godwits breeding in Alaska
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, beringiaeMarbled 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.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2019 |
---|---|
Title | Flexible timing of annual movements across consistently used sites by Marbled Godwits breeding in Alaska |
DOI | 10.1093/auk/uky007 |
Authors | Daniel R. Ruthrauff, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | The Auk |
Index ID | 70202421 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | Alaska Science Center Biology WTEB |
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Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa)
This metadata document describes the data contained in the "rawData" folder of this data package. This data package contains all data collected by the Argos System from nine satellite transmitters attached to Marbled Godwits on their breeding range in southwest Alaska, USA. Five data files are included in the "rawData" folder of this data package. Two data files (with identical content) contain thMigratory Timing and Site Use of Marbled Godwits Breeding in Alaska, 2008-2015
This dataset contains migration timing and land-based location information from nine Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa beringiae) equipped with solar-powered satellite transmitters on breeding grounds near Ugashik, Alaska, in June of 2008. Transmitters were programmed with a duty cycle of 10 hr on and 48 hr off, yielding 10,858 locations (47-3,490 locations per bird, depending on the duration of each - Connect