Consequences of migratory distance, habitat distribution and season on the migratory process in a short distance migratory shorebird population.

Background: The migratory process in birds consists of alternating periods of flight and fueling. Individuals of some populations make few flights and long stopovers, while others make multiple flights between short stopovers. Shorebirds are known for executing marathon flights (jumps), but most populations studied are long distance migrants, often crossing major barriers and thus forced to make long-haul flights. The sub-division of migration in short/medium distance migratory populations, where the total migration distance is shorter than documented non-stop flight capacity and where routes offer more homogenous stopover landscape, is little explored.

Methods: Here we combine data based on conventional light level geolocators and miniaturized multi sensor loggers, comprising acceleration and light sensors, to characterize the migratory routes and migration process for a short/medium distance (~ 1300 to 3000 km) migratory population of common ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula) breeding in southern Sweden. We were specifically interested in the variation in number and duration (total and individual) of flights/stopovers between seasons and in relation to migration distance.

Results: Most stopovers were located along the European Atlantic coast. On average 4.5 flights were made during autumn migration irrespective of migration distance, but in spring the number of flights increased with distance. The equal number of flights in autumn was explained by that most individuals migrating farther performed one longer flight (all but one lasting > 20 h), likely including crossing of the Bay of Biscay. Median duration of single flights was 8.7 h in autumn and 5.5 h in spring, and median stopover duration was ~ 1 day in both seasons. There was a positive relationship between total flight duration and migration distance, but total flight duration was 36% lower in spring compared to autumn.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that when suitable stopovers are abundant common ringed plovers prefer making shorter flights even if longer flights are within the capacity of the species. This behaviour is predicted under both time and energy minimizing strategies, although the variable flight distances suggest a policy of time selected migration. Even if populations using several stopovers seem to be more resilient for environmental change along the route, these results are informative for conservation efforts and for predicting responses to future environmental change.