Data from: Seasonal variation in migration strategies used to cross ecological barriers in a Nearctic migrant wintering in Africa ...

• Main Authors: Léandri-Breton, Don-Jean, Lamarre, Jean-François, Bety, Joël
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Movebank Data Repository 2019
• Subjects: Charadrius hiaticula; animal movement; animal tracking; avian migration; Arctic; ecological barriers; geolocator; light-level logger; ringed plover; shorebirds; transatlantic migration; Greenland; Iceland; Ringed Plover
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5441/001/1.f01v7r80; https://www.datarepository.movebank.org/handle/10255/move.897

Ecological barriers such as oceans, mountain ranges or glaciers can have a substantial influence on the evolution of animal migration. Along the migration flyway connecting breeding sites in the North American Arctic and wintering grounds in Europe or Africa, Nearctic species are confronted with significant barriers such as the Atlantic Ocean and the Greenland icecap. Using geolocation devices, we identified wintering areas used by Ringed Plovers nesting in the Canadian High‐Arctic and investigated migration strategies used by these Nearctic migrants along the transatlantic route. The main wintering area of the Ringed Plovers (n = 20) was located in Western Africa. We found contrasting seasonal migration patterns, with Ringed Plovers minimizing continuous flight distances over the ocean in spring by making a detour to stop in Iceland. In autumn, however, most individuals crossed the ocean in one direct flight from Southern Greenland to Western Europe, as far as Southern Spain. This likely resulted from ...