The timing of spring migration in trans-Saharan migrants: a comparison between Ottenby, Sweden and Capri, Italy

Authors

  • Niclas Jonzén Department of Theoretical Ecology, Lund University
  • Dario Piacentini Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica
  • Arne Andersson Ottenby Bird Observatory
  • Alessandro Montemaggiori Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica
  • Martin Stervander Ottenby Bird Observatory
  • Diego Rubolini Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Università degli Studi di Pavia
  • Jonas Waldenström Department of Animal Ecology, Lund University
  • Fernando Spina Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34080/os.v16.22412

Keywords:

phenology, tropical migrants, long-distance migration, migration speed, Passeriformes, climate change

Abstract

Some migratory birds have advanced their spring arrival to Northern Europe, possibly by increasing the speed of migration through Europe in response to increased temperature en route. In this paper we compare the phenology of spring arrival of seven trans-Saharan migrants along their migration route and test for patterns indicating that migration speed varied over the season using long-term data collected on the Italian island of Capri and at Ottenby Bird Observatory, Sweden. There was a linear relationship between median arrival dates on Capri and at Ottenby. The slope was not significantly different from one. On average, the seven species arrived 15 days later at Ottenby compared to Capri. There was a (non-significant) negative relationship between the species-specific arrival dates at Capri and the differences in median arrival dates between Capri and Ottenby, possibly indicating a tendency towards faster migration through Europe later in the season. To what extent different species are able to speed up their migration to benefit from the advancement of spring events is unknown.

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Published

2006-04-01

How to Cite

Jonzén, N., Piacentini, D., Andersson, A., Montemaggiori, A., Stervander, M., Rubolini, D., … Spina, F. (2006). The timing of spring migration in trans-Saharan migrants: a comparison between Ottenby, Sweden and Capri, Italy. Ornis Svecica, 16(1–2), 27–33. https://doi.org/10.34080/os.v16.22412

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