Description
To optimally tune their migration in response to their surroundings, migrating animals rely on an ensemble of internal and external cues. These cues may vary across sites and temporal scale and can work in consort to shape migratory movement patterns. However, our knowledge about the relative importance of these cues in facilitating shifts in behavior is still limited. Here, we present the results of a project using geolocator tracks of a long-distance migrant the Red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio), to investigate how migratory songbirds move in response to the environmental cues they encounter throughout the annual cycle. First, we developed a state-space movement model within a Bayesian framework to estimate the probability of switching between moving and stationary stages in response to weather conditions, photoperiod and estimated food availability based upon the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) on a daily basis throughout the annual cycle. Secondly, relying on optimal bird migration theory, we developed a mechanistic stochastic dynamic model to evaluate the importance of different staging areas and predict the decision to move or stay at each of these sites throughout the annual cycle to optimize lifetime reproductive outcome. The results of this model will enable us to gain a better understanding of the actual mechanisms driving timing of migration and movement decisions in migratory songbirds. Furthermore, our overall modelling framework can ultimately be tested across multiple species and flyways, leading us closer towards predicting how migratory songbirds are responding to global changes.| Period | 20 Aug 2016 |
|---|---|
| Event title | North American Ornithological Conference: Bringing Science and Conservation Together |
| Event type | Conference |
| Conference number | 6 |
| Location | Washington DC, United StatesShow on map |