<p>Arctic songbirds such as Snow Buntings (<i>Plectrophenax nivalis</i>) have a broad distribution across the Arctic in summer, and travel to temperate areas during winter. Previous work suggested a pattern of strong, parallel connectivity between North American breeding and wintering sites (i.e., longitudes positively correlated). In this study, we used multiple lines of evidence to determine migratory connectivity of eastern populations of Snow Buntings, both from a breeding site in the eastern Canadian Arctic and a wintering site in southern Ontario, Canada. Using light-level geolocators, Motus radio-telemetry, and band-recaptures, we found evidence that birds breeding in Iqaluit, Nunavut winter in at least two distinct regions separated by &gt; 1,600&#xa0;km, primarily longitudinally. This suggests Iqaluit may be at the centre of the previously inferred migratory divide, with locally breeding birds exhibiting diverse migration phenotypes. We found that birds wintering in southern Ontario, Canada, used at least two distinctive spring migration pathways: either directly north or eastwards, suggesting multiple breeding origins for this wintering population. Overall, this suggests that the Iqaluit population contains individuals with diverse migration patterns and overwintering sites, which could have important consequences for subsequent life history events such as the timing of breeding arrival, mate choice, and reproductive success. Importantly, this diversity of migratory connections could result in differential contributions from migration- and wintering-specific pressures on survival for individuals within the same breeding population, highlighting the importance of confirming connectivity between breeding and wintering sites in this species.</p>

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Divergent migration strategies within a population of Snow Buntings

  • Samuelle Simard-Provençal,
  • Oliver P. Love,
  • Rebecca J. Jardine,
  • Alysha Riquier,
  • Patricia Rokitnicki,
  • Sara Pearce Meijerink,
  • François Vézina,
  • Christina A. D. Semeniuk,
  • Emily A. McKinnon

摘要

Arctic songbirds such as Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) have a broad distribution across the Arctic in summer, and travel to temperate areas during winter. Previous work suggested a pattern of strong, parallel connectivity between North American breeding and wintering sites (i.e., longitudes positively correlated). In this study, we used multiple lines of evidence to determine migratory connectivity of eastern populations of Snow Buntings, both from a breeding site in the eastern Canadian Arctic and a wintering site in southern Ontario, Canada. Using light-level geolocators, Motus radio-telemetry, and band-recaptures, we found evidence that birds breeding in Iqaluit, Nunavut winter in at least two distinct regions separated by > 1,600 km, primarily longitudinally. This suggests Iqaluit may be at the centre of the previously inferred migratory divide, with locally breeding birds exhibiting diverse migration phenotypes. We found that birds wintering in southern Ontario, Canada, used at least two distinctive spring migration pathways: either directly north or eastwards, suggesting multiple breeding origins for this wintering population. Overall, this suggests that the Iqaluit population contains individuals with diverse migration patterns and overwintering sites, which could have important consequences for subsequent life history events such as the timing of breeding arrival, mate choice, and reproductive success. Importantly, this diversity of migratory connections could result in differential contributions from migration- and wintering-specific pressures on survival for individuals within the same breeding population, highlighting the importance of confirming connectivity between breeding and wintering sites in this species.