Spatial Behaviour and Habitat use of First-Year Bluethroats<i>Luscinia svecica</i>Stopping over at Coastal Marshes during the Autumn Migration Period

Arizaga, Juan; Andueza, Miren; Tamayo, Ibón

doi:10.3161/000164513x669964

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Variation in stopover duration and home range size Bluethroats showed large individual variation in their stopover duration and home range size in Barthes de la Nive. Observed mean values differed from those obtained by Arizaga et al (2013). Thus, stopover duration was shorter and home range larger in Barthes de la Nive (mean stopover duration of 5 days and mean home range size of 5.8 ha) than in Txingudi (9.6 days and 2 ha, respectively).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

“…). Additionally, overall home ranges are nearly twice to three times larger in Barthes de la Nive than in Txingudi (Arizaga et al 2013). Musseau et al (2017) also found home ranges of similar size to Arizaga et al (2013) in moulting Bluethroats.).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Additionally, overall home ranges are nearly twice to three times larger in Barthes de la Nive than in Txingudi (Arizaga et al 2013). Musseau et al (2017) also found home ranges of similar size to Arizaga et al (2013) in moulting Bluethroats.). These contrasting differences between Txingudi and Barthes de la Nive are very likely mediated by the strong differences in the degree of urbanization and habitat composition that seem to have profound consequences in the stopover behaviour of Bluethroats between two relatively close locations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…The wetland remnants that many birds use as stopover sites are normally small and face some common problems that, in some cases, can be mitigated by human intervention. For example, many wetland managers implement measurements to avoid clogging, which could lead to bush encroachment and the progressive disappearance of marsh vegetation (Clark and Wilson 2001); while the control of invasive and exotic species, that can alter wetland biodiversity and functioning, is also a common practice (Fontanilles et al 2014;Arizaga et al 2013). These measurements would increase the quality and carrying capacity of the wetlands, which would be very beneficial for migrating birds (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stopover ecology of autumn-migrating Bluethroats (Luscinia svecica) in a highly anthropogenic river basin

et al. 2019

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Wetlands are highly productive habitats that are largely used by many avian species as stopover sites during their migrations. However, these habitats are highly threatened by anthropogenic activities, such as land use changes, the introduction of exotic species and global warming. Further understanding on the spatiotemporal use of wetlands and their surrounding areas by migrating birds is essential to predict how these changes might affect avian en route ecology. We selected a habitat-generalist passerine of conservation concern, the Bluethroat Luscinia svecica, as model of how migratory birds exploit a highly anthropogenic river basin in southwestern France (i.e. Barthes de la Nive) during autumn migration. We captured and radiotracked 29 young Bluethroats in this region to shed light on different aspects of their stopover ecology and behaviour, such as stopover duration, habitat selection and home range size. We also complemented the study with a characterization of Bluethroat diet and arthropod availability in different habitats. Bluethroats positively selected reedbeds (pure or mixed associated with carex), hydrophilous tall grasslands and corn crops. Birds staying more than just one day, 8.4 days on average, used preferably corn crops. Home range sizes were on average 5.8 ha (fixed kernels K95) and high occupancy area (K50) was 1.36 ha with large individual variation. Bluethroats stopping over with low body reserves tended to have larger home ranges and used preferentially corn crops, wet or mesotrophic grasslands and rural paths. Reedbeds were typically used as roosting habitat for the majority of birds, being on average 397 m apart from their daytime core areas. Short-staying birds tended to show higher body reserves and restricted their activities to a smaller home range (1 ha) in pure and mixed reedbed. The diet of Bluethroats was dominated by ants Hymenoptera Formicidae, Araneidae and Coleoptera that were most abundant in the corn crops. The use of corn crops by migrating Bluethroats during autumn in our study site appears to be a reasonable solution in a highly altered environment. Reducing the use of insecticides in these crops and delaying the harvesting time after mid-October are two measures that could favour Bluethroats and other migratory species while natural wetlands are restored and reedbeds protected from tree encroachment. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -This work was supported by the Conseil Départemental des Pyrénées Atlantiques, Syndicat Nive Maritime, Villefranque and Bayonne councils. We are particularly grateful to F. Esnault, S. Valles, R. Damestoy and R. Dufourcq. We are extremely thankful to L. Delalande, F. Delfour, A. Glad, M. Janczyszyn-Le Goff, T. Sarraude, for their commitment in the collection of the radiotracking data, to L. Julien for invertebrate sampling, and members of OISO association who made this research possible, especially F. Lartigau. National Museum of Natural History authorized the bird-ringing and radio-tracking scheme. The experiments were complied with the current laws of ...

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stopover ecology of autumn-migrating Bluethroats (Luscinia svecica) in a highly anthropogenic river basin

et al. 2019

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“…These values are relatively close to estimates obtained for other reed bed passerines during post-breeding migration: 6.1 days (95% CI 3.0-9.2) for Reed Warbler A. scirpaceus in southern France (Montpellier Region; Balança & Schaub 2005), 9.1 ± 5.2 days for Sedge Warbler A. schoenobaenus (measured for 17 European and African sites; , and probably nearly 9-10 days for first-year Bluethroats Luscinia svecica in Spain (Arizaga et al 2013). Many environmental factors such as fuel load, refueling rate, stopover opportunities along the migratory route, or meteorological conditions may influence the stopover duration at a particular site (e.g.…”

Section: Stopover Durationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Ecology of Aquatic WarblersAcrocephalus paludicolain a Fall Stopover Area on the Atlantic Coast of France

et al. 2014

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The Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola is the only endangered songbird in continental Europe. This trans-Saharan migratory bird significantly transits along the French Atlantic coastline during post-breeding migration and the right bank of the Gironde estuary has been identified as an important stopover site. We studied the spatial occupancy strategies of stationing individuals during August of three successive years (2010)(2011)(2012). We characterized habitat use by radio-tracking individuals revealing relatively small foraging ranges (6.6 ± 2.6 ha on average) with only 1 ha actually exploited (core area), and a relatively high habitat fragmentation rate. Capture-mark-recapture analyses assessed the average stopover duration of individuals and body-mass variations during their stopover. The estimated average stopover duration was 6.46 ± 0.46 days (95% confidence interval: 4.4-9.6). Lean birds tended to forage significantly more than stout birds: on average, they gain 2.81 ± 0.89% of their initial mass each day whereas stout birds only gain 0.12 ± 0.56%. Analyses of droppings characterized the local diet. We noticed that Aquatic Warbler preferentially used partially-flooded or flooded habitats with heterogeneous and rather low vegetation, such as bulrush beds or bulrush beds mixed with reed beds. Orthoptera, Araneae and Hymenoptera represented the largest contributions to the consumed biomass (64.7%, 13.4% and 8.9% respectively). The importance of the fuel deposition rate of lean birds reflects the importance of the estuary as a stopover site for the species. It means that the available resources allow birds to replenish and continue their migration route. However, the sustainability of the site's functionality is questioned because of the evolution of habitats (erosion, rise in water levels and changes in food web).

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Bluethroats Luscinia svecica namnetum offset landscape constraints by expanding their home range

Godet

Marquet²,

Eybert

et al. 2015

J Ornithol

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International audienceThe highly fragmented landscape structures of coastal salinas are known to result in decreased terrestrial bird abundance, species richness and diversity but to promote original assemblages dominated by specialist species, such as the Bluethroat Luscinia svecica namnetum. This species is mainly found at the core of these salinas, where the landscape characteristics are a priori the most hostile for terrestrial birds. The aim of this study was to test whether individuals of a specialized species like the Bluethroat may offset such landscape constraints by expanding their home ranges. We therefore radio-tracked 21 males in 2013 and 2014 in the salinas of the Marais du Mès (Parc Naturel Régional de Brière, Western France). The data of the 18 best-monitored males were used to carry out a hierarchical partitioning of variance to test the relative influence of landscape characteristics, individual characteristicsand distance to other males on their home-range sizes. We found that landscape characteristics were the factors that best explained home range sizes. Home-range sizes were significantly smaller in diversified landscapes composed of tidal creeks and salt-marsh patches and tended to be larger in landscapes dominated by the aquatic matrix consisting of water ponds. The results of this study demonstrate that although a few bird species are able toselect a priori hostile landscapes, they can offset such constraints by expanding their home-range size

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Spatial Behaviour and Habitat use of First-Year BluethroatsLuscinia svecicaStopping over at Coastal Marshes during the Autumn Migration Period

Cited by 14 publications

References 23 publications

Stopover ecology of autumn-migrating Bluethroats (Luscinia svecica) in a highly anthropogenic river basin

Stopover ecology of autumn-migrating Bluethroats (Luscinia svecica) in a highly anthropogenic river basin

Ecology of Aquatic WarblersAcrocephalus paludicolain a Fall Stopover Area on the Atlantic Coast of France

Bluethroats Luscinia svecica namnetum offset landscape constraints by expanding their home range

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