Translocation of shorebird siblings shows intraspecific variation in migration routines to arise after fledging ...

• Main Authors: A. H. Jelle Loonstra, Verhoeven, Mo A., Both, Christiaan, Piersma, Theunis
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2023
• Subjects: animal culture; black-tailed godwit; developmental systems; Limosa limosa limosa; learning; ontogeny; seasonal migration; Limosa limosa
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7954455; https://zenodo.org/record/7954455

Though many recent tracking studies have uncovered considerable variation in the migratory routines of birds, the source of this variation is surprisingly poorly discussed. We hypothesize that a wealth of possible factors, including factors other than genetics, translate into these variable outcomes. To demonstrate how factors that are not inherited can shape migratory routine during development, we performed a translocation and delayed-release experiment with juvenile hand-raised black-tailed godwits Limosa limosa limosa that were carefully matched for ancestral background, releasing siblings 1000 km apart. Translocated juveniles adopted the spatiotemporal pattern of migration that is habitual for the population at the release location rather than the origin. This leads to a rejection of the hypothesis that the migration of inexperienced birds is only shaped by pre-release factors including genes, maternal material in the eggs and a common environment from hatching to fledging. Instead, these findings are ... : ##The dataset JuvSouthward contains all first southward-movements of the experimentally released Black-tailed Godwits during 2016&2017. The codename of each bird contains all information about release location and date. Further details about datacollection can be found in the main article. ##The dataset JuvNorthward contains all first northward-movements of the experimentally released Black-tailed Godwits during 2016&2017. The codename of each bird contains all information about release location and date. Further details about datacollection can be found in the main article. ...