Daily Arrival and Departure Patterns of Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, Northern Pintail Anas acuta and Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Ruddy Shelduck; Northern Pintail; Mallard; foraging; stopover; farmlands; flight movements; Kuyucuk Lake; Anas acuta
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.555.9516; http://www.kezk.bio.univ.gda.pl/admin/upload/files/mw_051.pdf

and Mallards Anas platyrhynchos staying at Kuyucuk Lake (northeastern Turkey). Mass departures of all three species from the lake started about 6:00 and most of the birds flew away within half an hour. Arrivals began only after 6:00 and lasted about twice as long as the departures. In the Ruddy Shelduck, there was a clear 135–180 minute gap between arrival and departure periods. In the Mallard and Northern Pintail, departures and arrivals overlapped to some extent. Afternoon flights were more extended in time and varied between days. Departures and arrivals were well separated only in the Ruddy Shelduck. Arrivals started c. 2 hours after departures both in the morning and in the evening. Observed rapid morning departures and two daily peaks of flight activity resemble patterns recorded elsewhere in these species and other ducks and geese during the non-breeding season.