South polar skuas from a single breeding population overwinter in different oceans though show similar migration patterns
Seabirds in seasonal environments are often long-distance migrants and, for many spe-cies and populations, their ranges throughout the non-breeding period are unknown. As conditionsduring the non-breeding season often affect subsequent performance, the choice of migration strat-egy can have major im...
Published in: | Marine Ecology Progress Series |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
2011
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/52125/ https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/52125/1/Kopp_et_al-2011-MEPS.pdf https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09229 https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.30ca2323-e652-410c-a82f-be975c4da3f9 |
Summary: | Seabirds in seasonal environments are often long-distance migrants and, for many spe-cies and populations, their ranges throughout the non-breeding period are unknown. As conditionsduring the non-breeding season often affect subsequent performance, the choice of migration strat-egy can have major implications for timing of breeding and success and, ultimately, populationdynamics. We tracked south polar skuas Catharacta maccormickifrom a single breeding populationat King George Island in the South Shetland Islands (Antarctica). Overall, 27 birds (69%) migrated tothe northern Atlantic (3 regions), 10 birds (26%) to the northern Pacific Ocean (2 regions), and 2 birdswintered in the southern hemisphere. Individuals tracked in consecutive non-breeding seasons chosethe same ocean for wintering. Despite migrating to different oceans, birds showed a similar figure-of-eight flight pattern and equivalent residency periods in the main wintering areas. In addition, 87% ofthe migrants used terminal stop-over sites off South America shortly before returning to the breedingsite. High diversity of migration patterns may buffer south polar skuas from climate change and otheranthropogenic threats. |
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