Broad-scale patterns of the Afro-Palearctic landbird migration

Aim: Animal migration strategies balance trade-offs between mortality and reproduction in seasonal environments. Knowledge of broad-scale biogeographical patterns of animal migration is important for understanding ecological drivers of migratory behaviours. Here we present a flyway-scale assessment of the spatial structure and seasonal dynamics of the Afro-Palearctic bird migration system and explore how phenology of the environment guides long-distance migration.
Location: Europe and Africa.
Time period: 2009–2017.
Major taxa studied: Birds.
Methods: We compiled an individual-based dataset comprising 23 passerine and near-passerine species of 55 European breeding populations where a total of 564 individuals were tracked migrating between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, we used remote sensed observations on primary productivity (NDVI) to estimate the timing of vegetation green-up in spring and senescence in autumn across Europe. First, we described how individual breeding an...