Trans-Equatorial Migration Routes, Staging Sites and Wintering Areas of a High-Arctic Avian Predator: The Long-tailed Skua (Stercorarius longicaudus)
Open Access
- 21 May 2013
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS) in PLOS ONE
- Vol. 8 (5), e64614
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0064614
Abstract
The Long-tailed Skua, a small (<300 g) Arctic-breeding predator and seabird, is a functionally very important component of the Arctic vertebrate communities in summer, but little is known about its migration and winter distribution. We used light-level geolocators to track the annual movements of eight adult birds breeding in north-east Greenland (n = 3) and Svalbard (n = 5). All birds wintered in the Southern Hemisphere (mean arrival-departure dates on wintering grounds: 24 October-21 March): five along the south-west coast of Africa (0-40 degrees S, 0-15 degrees E), in the productive Benguela upwelling, and three further south (30-40 degrees S, 0-50 degrees E), in an area extending into the south-west Indian Ocean. Different migratory routes and rates of travel were documented during post-breeding (345 km d(-1) in late August-early September) and spring migrations (235 km d(-1) in late April) when most birds used a more westerly flyway. Among the different staging areas, a large region off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland appears to be the most important. It was used in autumn by all but one of the tracked birds (from a few days to three weeks) and in spring by five out of eight birds (from one to more than six weeks). Two other staging sites, off the Iberian coast and near the Azores, were used by two birds in spring for five to six weeks. Over one year, individuals travelled between 43,900 and 54,200 km (36,600-45,700 when excluding staging periods) and went as far as 10,500-13,700 km (mean 12,800 km) from their breeding sites. This study has revealed important marine areas in both the south and north Atlantic Ocean. Sustainable management of these ocean basins will benefit Long-tailed Skuas as well as other trans-equatorial migrants from the ArcticThis publication has 35 references indexed in Scilit:
- Response of an arctic predator guild to collapsing lemming cyclesProceedings. Biological sciences, 2012
- Influence of allochtonous nutrients delivered by colonial seabirds on soil collembolan communities on SpitsbergenPolar Biology, 2012
- Seabird conservation status, threats and priority actions: a global assessmentBird Conservation International, 2012
- The tundra food web of Bylot Island in a changing climate and the role of exchanges between ecosystemsÉcoscience, 2011
- Post-breeding migration of four Long-tailed Skuas (Stercorarius longicaudus) from North and East Greenland to West AfricaJournal of Ornithology, 2010
- Climate change and cyclic predator–prey population dynamics in the high ArcticGlobal Change Biology, 2009
- Spatial ecology and conservation of seabirds facing global climate change: a reviewMarine Ecology Progress Series, 2009
- Vertebrate Predator—Prey Interactions in a Seasonal EnvironmentPublished by Elsevier BV ,2008
- Functional and numerical responses of four lemming predators in high arctic GreenlandOikos, 2006
- Cyclic Dynamics in a Simple Vertebrate Predator-Prey CommunityScience, 2003