Geolocator tagging reveals Pacific migration of Red‐necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus breeding in Scotland

• Published in: Ibis
• Main Authors: Smith, Malcolm, Bolton, Mark, Okill, David J., Summers, Ron W., Ellis, Pete, Liechti, Felix, Wilson, Jeremy D.
• Other Authors: Pearce‐Higgins, James, Gillman Trusts
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2014
• Subjects: Phalaropus lobatus; Red-necked Phalarope
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12196; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fibi.12196; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ibi.12196

The migration route of R ed‐necked P halarope populations breeding on N orth A tlantic islands has been subject to considerable speculation. Geolocator tags were fitted to nine R ed‐necked P halaropes breeding in northern S cotland to assess whether they migrated to P alaearctic or N earctic wintering grounds. Of four birds known to return, two had retained their tags, of which one was recaptured. This male P halarope left S hetland on 1 A ugust 2012 and crossed the A tlantic O cean to the L abrador S ea off eastern C anada in 6 days, then moved south to reach F lorida during S eptember, crossed the G ulf of M exico into the P acific O cean and reached an area between the G alapagos I slands and the S outh A merican coast by mid‐ O ctober, where it remained until the end of A pril, returning by a similar route until the tag battery failed as the bird was crossing the A tlantic O cean. The total migration of 22 000 km is approximately 60% longer than the previously assumed route to the western part of the A rabian S ea, and this first evidence of migration of a E uropean breeding bird to the P acific O cean also helps to indicate the possible migratory route of the large autumn movements of R ed‐necked P halaropes down the east coast of N orth A merica.