Annual movements of a migratory seabird - the NW European red-throated diver (Gavia stellata) - reveals high individual repeatability but low migratory connectivity ...

• Main Authors: Kleinschmidt, Birgit, Burger, Claudia, Bustamante, Paco, Dorsch, Monika, Heinänen, Stefan, Morkunas, Julius, Žydelis, Ramunas, Nehls, Georg, Quillfeldt, Petra, Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universitätsbibliothek Gießen 2022
• Subjects: Red-throated diver; Red-throated loon; Satellite tracking; Stable isotopes; Temporal-spatial pattern; Migratory connectivity; Site fidelity; Anthropogenic pressure; ddc570; Arctic; Greenland; Svalbard
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.22029/jlupub-18023; https://jlupub.ub.uni-giessen.de//handle/jlupub/18659

In this study, the annual movements of a seabird species, the red-throated diver (Gavia stellata), were investigated in space and time. Between 2015 and 2017, 33 individuals were fitted with satellite transmitters at the German Bight (eastern North Sea). In addition, stable isotope analyses of feathers (δ13C) were used to identify staging areas during the previous moult. The German Bight is an important area for this species, but is also strongly affected by anthropogenic impacts. To understand how this might affect populations, we aimed to determine the degree of connectivity and site fidelity, and the extent to which seasonal migrations vary among different breeding locations in the high Arctic. Tagged individuals migrated to Greenland (n = 2), Svalbard (n = 2), Norway (n = 4) and northern Russia (n = 25). Although individuals from a shared breeding region (northern Russia) largely moved along the same route, individuals dispersed to different, separate areas during the non-breeding phase. Kernel density ...