Abstract
Migration strategies may change in response to climate change with consequences for conservation efforts. We used 80 years (1934−2014) of band recovery data (N = 1,057) to describe spatial and temporal patterns in the migration behavior of American Robins. The distribution of recoveries suggests strong continental scale connectivity with distinct separation between eastern and western North America, with a more moderate degree of connectivity within these regions. We also found little evidence of differential migration between males and females. Despite previous studies that suggest the winter distribution of robins has shifted northward, our analysis shows no obvious change in migration distance over time. Surprisingly, we found that a significant proportion of across season band recoveries occurred locally (20%), in close proximity to the original banding locations. It’s well known that large numbers of robins linger in northern breeding grounds well into the winter of some years, but the proximity of these birds to breeding areas was previously unknown. We found little evidence that the winter latitude of migrants or local recoveries shifted over time. However, there was a trend for increased frequency of local recoveries in recent decades, providing an alternative hypothesis for the northward shift in winter distribution.
References
[1] Walther G.R., Post E., Convey P., Menzel A., Parmesan C., Beebee T.J.C., et al., Ecological responses to recent climate change, Nature, 2002, 416, 389-395. 10.1038/416389aSearch in Google Scholar
[2] Butler C.J., The disproportionate effect of global warming on the arrival dates of short-distance migratory birds in North America, Ibis, 2003, 145, 484-495 10.1046/j.1474-919X.2003.00193.xSearch in Google Scholar
[3] Jonzen N., Linden A., Ergon T., Knudsen E., Vik J.O., Rubolini D., et al., Rapid advance of spring arrival dates in long-distance migratory birds, Science, 2006, 312, 1959-1961 10.1126/science.1126119Search in Google Scholar
[4] Visser M.E., Perdeck A.C., van Balen J.H., Both C., Climate change leads to decreasing bird migration distances, Glob. Change Biol., 2009, 15, 1859-1865 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01865.xSearch in Google Scholar
[5] Root T.L., Weckstein J.D., Changes in distribution patterns of select wintering North American birds from 1901 to 1989, Stud. Avian Biol., 1994, 15, 191-201 Search in Google Scholar
[6] Thomas C.D., Lennon J.J., Birds extend their ranges northwards. Nature, 1999; 399, 213 10.1038/20335Search in Google Scholar
[7] La Sorte F.A., Thompson F.R., Poleward shifts in winter ranges of North American birds, Ecology 2007, 88, 1803-1812 10.1890/06-1072.1Search in Google Scholar
[8] Zuckerberg B., Bonter D.N., Hochachka W.M., Koenig W.D., DeGaetano A.T., Dickinson J.L., Climatic constraints on wintering bird distributions are modified by urbanization and weather, J. Anim. Ecol., 2011, 80, 403-413 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01780.xSearch in Google Scholar
[9] Fiedler W., Bairlein F., Köppen U., Using large-scale data from ringed birds for the investigation of effects of climate change on migrating birds: pitfalls and prospects, Adv. Ecol. Res., 2004, 35, 49-67 10.1016/S0065-2504(04)35003-8Search in Google Scholar
[10] Berthold P., Bird migration: a novel theory for the evolution, the control and the adaptability of bird migration, J. Ornithol., 2001, 142, 148-159 Search in Google Scholar
[11] Newton I., The migration ecology of birds. Academic Press, London, 2010 Search in Google Scholar
[12] Chapman B.B., Bronmark C., Nilsson J.-A., Hansson L.-A., The ecology and evolution of partial migration, Oikos, 2011, 120, 1764-1775 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.20131.xSearch in Google Scholar
[13] Webster M.S., Marra P.P., Haig S.M., Bensch S., Holmes RT., Links between worlds: unraveling migratory connectivity, Trends Ecol. Evol., 2002, 17, 76-83 10.1016/S0169-5347(01)02380-1Search in Google Scholar
[14] Cristol D.A., Baker M.B., Carbone C., Differential migration revisited, Current Ornithology, 1999, 15, 33-88 10.1007/978-1-4757-4901-4_2Search in Google Scholar
[15] Hobson K.A., Norris D.R., Animal migration: a context for using new techniques and approaches. In: Hobson, KA, Wassenaar, LI (Eds.), Tracking Animal Migration Using Stable Isotopes, Academic Press, London, 2008, 107-128 Search in Google Scholar
[16] Bridge E.S., Thorup K., Bowlin M.S., Chilson P.B., Diehl R.H., Fléron R.W., et al., Technology on the move: recent and forthcoming innovations for tracking migratory birds. Bioscience, 2011, 61, 689-698 10.1525/bio.2011.61.9.7Search in Google Scholar
[17] Bridge E.S., Kelly J.F., Contina A., Gabrielson R.M., MacCurdy R.B., Winkler D.W., Advances in tracking small migratory birds: a technical review of light-level geolocation. J. Field Ornithol., 2013, 84, 121-137 10.1111/jofo.12011Search in Google Scholar
[18] McKinnon E.A., Fraser K.C., Stutchbury B.J.M., New discoveries in landbird migration using geolocators, and a flight plan for the future. Auk, 2013, 130, 211-222 10.1525/auk.2013.12226Search in Google Scholar
[19] Hallworth M.T., Marra P.P., Miniaturized GPS tags identify non-breeding territories of a small breeding migratory songbird. Sci. Rep., 2015, 5, 11069 10.1038/srep11069Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
[20] Morris S.R., Covino K.M., Jacobs J.D., Taylor P.D., Fall migratory patterns of the Blackpoll Warbler at a continental scale. Auk, 2016, 133, 41-51 10.1642/AUK-15-133.1Search in Google Scholar
[21] Boulet M., Gibbs H.L., Hobson K.A., Integrated analysis of genetic, stable isotope, and banding data reveal migratory connectivity and flyways in the Northern Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia; Aestiva group). Ornithol. Monogr., 2006, 29-78 10.2307/40166837Search in Google Scholar
[22] Ryder T.B., Fox J.W., Marra P.P., Estimating migratory connectivity of Gray Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) using geolocator and mark-recapture data. Auk, 2011, 128, 448-453 10.1525/auk.2011.11091Search in Google Scholar
[23] Johnson D.H., Nichols J.D., Schwartz M.D., Population dynamics of breeding waterfowl, In: Batt B.D., Afton A.D., Anderson M.G., Ankney D.H., Kadlec J.A., Krapu G.L., (Eds.), Ecology and Management of Breeding Waterfowl Minneapolis, Univ. Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, 1992, 446-485 Search in Google Scholar
[24] Calenge C., Guillemain M., Gauthier-Clerc M., Simon G., A new exploratory approach to the study of the spatio-temporal distribution of ring recoveries: the example of Teal (Anas crecca) ringed in Camargue, Southern France. J. Ornithol., 2010, 151, 945-950 10.1007/s10336-010-0534-8Search in Google Scholar
[25] Korner-Nievergelt F., Liechti F., Thorup K., A bird distribution model for ring recovery data: where do the European Robins go? Ecology and Evolution, 2014, 4, 720-731 10.1002/ece3.977Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
[26] Cohen E.B., Hostetler J.A., Royle J.A., Marra P.P., Estimating migratory connectivity of birds when re-encounter probabilities are heterogeneous. Ecology and Evolution, 2014, 4, 1659-1670 10.1002/ece3.1059Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
[27] Thorup K., Korner-Nievergelt F., Cohen E.B., Baillie S.R., Large-scale spatial analysis of ringing and re-encounter data to infer movement patterns: a review including methodological perspectives. Methods Ecol. Evol., 2014, 5, 1337-1350 10.1111/2041-210X.12258Search in Google Scholar
[28] Wauer R.H., The American Robin. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin, TX, 1999 10.7560/791237Search in Google Scholar
[29] Vanderhoff N., Sallabanks R., James F., American Robin (Turdus migratorius). In: Poole A., (Ed.) Birds of North America Online, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, 2014, http://bna.birds. cornell.edu/bna/species/462 10.2173/bna.462Search in Google Scholar
[30] Klimkiewicz M.K., Clapp R.B., Futcher A.G., Longevity records of North American birds: Remizidae through Parulinae. J. Field Ornithol., 1983, 54, 287-294 Search in Google Scholar
[31] DeSante D.F., Kaschube D.R., Saracco J.F., Vital Rates of North American Landbirds. The Institute for Bird Populations; 2015, http://www.VitalRatesOfNorthAmericanLandbirds.org Search in Google Scholar
[32] Robbins C.S., The changing seasons: a summary of the winter season. Audubon Field Notes, 1956, 10, 2 Search in Google Scholar
[33] Audubon, Birds and Climate Change: Ecological Disruption in Motion, National Audubon Society, New York, NY, 2009, http:// web4.audubon.org/news/pressroom/bacc/pdfs/birds%20 and%20climate%20report.pdf Search in Google Scholar
[34] Root T., Atlas of Wintering North American Birds: An Analysis of Christmas Bird Count Data. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 1988 Search in Google Scholar
[35] Wharton WP. Twelve years of banding at Summerville, S. C. Bird-Banding, 1941, 12, 137-147 10.2307/4509694Search in Google Scholar
[36] Bent A.C., Life Histories of North American Thrushes, Kinglets, and Their Allies, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1949 10.5479/si.03629236.196.1Search in Google Scholar
[37] Martin K., Breeding density and reproductive success of robins in relation to habitat structure on logged areas of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Master’s thesis, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, 1973 Search in Google Scholar
[38] Wernham C., Toms M., Marchant J., Clark J., Siriwardena G., Baillie S., The Migration Atlas, Poyser, 2002 Search in Google Scholar
[39] ESRI, ArcGIS Desktop: Release 10. Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, CA, 2011 Search in Google Scholar
[40] R Development Core Team, R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria, 2014, http://www.R-project.org/ Search in Google Scholar
[41] Ersts P.J., Geographic Distance Matrix Generator, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, 2015, http://biodiversityinformatics.amnh.org/open_ source/gdmg/ Search in Google Scholar
[42] Sauer J.R., Hines J.E., Fallon K.L.P., Pardieck K.L., Ziolkowski D.J., Link W.A., The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1996-2013. Version 01.30.2015, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, 2014, http:// www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/ Search in Google Scholar
[43] Mann M.E., Zhang Z., Hughes M.K., Bradley R.S., Miller S.K., Rutherford S., et al. Proxy-based reconstructions of hemispheric and global surface temperature variations over the past two millennia. PNAS, 2008, 105, 13252-13257 10.1073/pnas.0805721105Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
[44] Phillips A.R., The Known Birds of North and Middle America: Distributions and Variation, Migrations, Changes, Hybrids, etc., pt. II. Bombycillidae, Sylviidae to Sturnidae, Vireonidae, A.R. Phillips, Denver, CO, 1991 Search in Google Scholar
[45] Stiles E.W., Expansions of mockingbird and Multiflora Rose in the northeastern United States and Canada. Am. Birds, 1982, 36, 358-367 Search in Google Scholar
[46] McCusker C.E, Ward M.P., Brawn J.D., Seasonal responses of avian communities to invasive bush honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.). Biol. Invasions, 2009, 12, 2459-2470 10.1007/s10530-009-9655-5Search in Google Scholar
[47] Gleditsch J.M., Carlo T.A., Fruit quantity of invasive shrubs predicts the abundance of common native avian frugivores in central Pennsylvania. Diversity and Distributions, 2011, 17, 244-253 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2010.00733.xSearch in Google Scholar
[48] Pachauri R.K., Allen M.R., Barros V.R., Broome J., Cramer W., Christ R., et al,. Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 2014 Search in Google Scholar
[49] Pulido F., Berthold P., Current selection for lower migratory activity will drive the evolution of residency in a migratory bird population. PNAS, 2010, 107, 7341-7346 10.1073/pnas.0910361107Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
[50] Valiela I., Bowen J.L., Shifts in winter distribution in birds: effects of global warming and local habitat change. AMBIO, 2003, 32, 476-480 10.1579/0044-7447-32.7.476Search in Google Scholar
[51] Rodewald P., The Birds of North America Online, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, 2015, http://bna.birds. cornell.edu/BNA/ Search in Google Scholar
[52] La Sorte F.A., Fink D., Hochachka W.M., Kelling S., Convergence of broad-scale migration strategies in terrestrial birds. Proc. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci., 2016, 283, 20152588 10.1098/rspb.2015.2588Search in Google Scholar
[53] Falls J.B., Kopachena J.G., White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis). In: Poole A., (Ed.) Birds of North America Online, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, 2014, http://bna.birds. cornell.edu/bna/species/128 Search in Google Scholar
[54] Clegg S.M., Kelly J.F., Kimura M., Smith T.B., Combining genetic markers and stable isotopes to reveal population connectivity and migration patterns in a Neotropical migrant, Wilson’s Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla). Mol. Ecol., 2003, 12, 819-830 10.1046/j.1365-294X.2003.01757.xSearch in Google Scholar
[55] Lovette I.J., Clegg S.M., Smith T.B., Limited utility of mtDNA markers for determining connectivity among breeding and overwintering locations in three Neotropical migrant birds. Conserv. Biol., 2004, 18, 156-166 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2004.00239.xSearch in Google Scholar
[56] Cormier R.L., Humple D.L., Gardali T., Seavy N.E., Light-level geolocators reveal strong migratory connectivity and withinwinter movements for a coastal California Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) population. Auk, 2013, 130, 283-290 10.1525/auk.2013.12228Search in Google Scholar
[57] Trierweiler C., Klaassen R.H.G., Drent R.H., Exo K.-M., Komdeur J., Bairlein F., et al., Migratory connectivity and populationspecific migration routes in a long-distance migratory bird. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B. Biol. Sci., 2014, 281, 20132897 10.1098/rspb.2013.2897Search in Google Scholar
[58] Ruegg K.C., Anderson E.C., Paxton K.L., Apkenas V., Lao S., Siegel R.B., et al., Mapping migration in a songbird using high-resolution genetic markers. Mol. Ecol., 2014, 23, 5726-5739 10.1111/mec.12977Search in Google Scholar
[59] Rushing C.S., Ryder T.B., Saracco J.F., Marra P.P., Assessing migratory connectivity for a long-distance migratory bird using multiple intrinsic markers. Ecol. Appl., 2013, 24, 445-456 10.1890/13-1091.1Search in Google Scholar
[60] Jenkins K.D., Cristol D.A., Moore F., Evidence of differential migration by sex in White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis). Auk, 2002, 119, 539-543 10.1093/auk/119.2.539Search in Google Scholar
[61] Stouffer P.C., Dwyer G.M., Moore F.R., Sex-biased winter distribution and timing of migration of Hermit Thrushes (Catharus guttatus) in eastern North America. Auk, 2003, 120, 836-847 10.1642/0004-8038(2003)120[0836:SWDATO]2.0.CO;2Search in Google Scholar
[62] Macdonald C.A., McKinnon E.A., Gilchrist H.G., Love O.P., Cold tolerance, and not earlier arrival on breeding grounds, explains why males winter further north in an Arctic-breeding songbird. J. Avian Biol., 2016, 7-15 10.1111/jav.00689Search in Google Scholar
© 2016 David Brown, Gail Miller
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
