Chronological trends in the timing of spring bird migration and its relationship with temperature in a coastal forest near the city of Niigata

Abstract

. 2011. Chronological trends in the timing of spring bird migration and its relationship with temperature in a coastal forest near the city of Niigata. Jpn. J. Ornithol. 60: 63-72.Abstract. Chronological trends in the timing of spring bird migration and its relationship with temperature were studied in a coastal forest near the city of Niigata that is used by many migratory bird species. Analyses were conducted using median arrival dates for each bird species between 28 March and 11 June in the period 1989-2008. Among the 29 bird species that satisfied analytical conditions, two species, Tree Sparrow Passer montanus and Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina showed significant trends towards progressively earlier migration across years. For nine bird species (i.e. one resident species, four shortdistance and four long-distance migratory species), arrival date was significantly negatively correlated with mean temperature between March and May in the city of Niigata. The rate of change in migration time for birds in spring calculated in this study was the same or greater than values found in North America and Europe. Although the average of the median arrival date for long-distance migratory birds was 11-12 days later than that of short-distance migratory birds, the adaptability of both migratory birds to the rise in temperature was almost the same. If global warming exceeds the adaptability of migratory birds, the whole migratory bird family may be seriously affected.

Adult male birds advance spring migratory phenology faster than females and juveniles across North America

“…Over the ensuing decades, consistent advances in spring migratory phenology (Bitterlin & Van Buskirk, 2014; Lehikoinen et al, 2019; Usui et al, 2017) have been found across Europe (Cotton, 2003; Newson et al, 2016; Saino et al, 2011; Sparks et al, 2005) and North America (Horton et al, 2020; Mayor et al, 2017; Zimova et al, 2021), and these advances are invariably linked to increases in global temperatures (Cotton, 2003; Horton et al, 2020; Hurlbert & Liang, 2012; Lehikoinen et al, 2019; Marra et al, 2005; Sparks et al, 2005). Variation exists within migratory birds, however, with greater phenological advances and tighter ties to vegetation phenology for short‐distance migrants compared to Neotropical, trans‐Saharan, or Southeast Asian migrants (Bitterlin & Van Buskirk, 2014; Horton et al, 2019; Hurlbert & Liang, 2012; Lehikoinen et al, 2019; Nakata et al, 2011; Tøttrup et al, 2012; Usui et al, 2017; Youngflesh et al, 2021; Zimova et al, 2021).…”