Winter connectivity and leapfrog migration in a migratory passerine

Aim: Every year birds prepare for their migration journey, and understanding how this phenomenon is carried out allows us to infer whether human activities have influenced and modified the way in which the birds migrate. Many bird species perform long-distance movements to find sites with better conditions and optimize the use of resources during the annual cycle. These migration movements in birds have been studied using different methods, from mist nets, mark and recapture techniques, geolocators to document movements, and stable hydrogen isotopes. In this study, we used a genetic tool to create a graphic representation of the genetic variation across the species breeding range or genoscape as a reference to assess the connectivity of a migratory bird across its annual cycle. The advantage of the genoscape approach is that it allows us to identify distinct genetic units in the breeding range and then detect the migration pattern of those units through time and space.
Methods: We studi..., ,