Dynamics of Naïve White Storks Ciconia Ciconia Migrating at the Central European Migratory Divide during 1947–2018

Abstract

Flexibility in migratory behaviour may have significant consequences for the adaptability of birds to ongoing environmental changes. Shifts in arrival and departure dates, migration distance and even direction of migration have all been demonstrated over the last few decades in a variety of species, mostly passerines. Less well understood is the spatio-temporal dynamics of migration at so-called migratory divides, i.e. contact zones of populations with different migratory strategies. We used data on 58 White Storks Ciconia ciconia ringed as nestlings in a part of the Central European migratory divide in the Czech Republic during the period 1947–2018 and recovered during their first winter season in October to February, to test the hypotheses of (1) shortening migratory distance over the years and (2) a shift in the proportion of adopted migratory strategies being a proximate factor of changes in migration distance. Using regression analysis, we provided evidence of gradual linear decrease over the years in mean recovery distance of ringed nestlings during their first winter. Results of multinomial regression analysis showed that this decrease has been proximately driven by an increase in the proportion of storks recovered within 500 km from their natal site, a decreasing proportion of storks recovered on the eastern migratory flyway and an increasing proportion of storks recovered on the western migratory flyway. Evidence for Czech Storks migrating via the western migratory flyway first appeared in 2003. The apparent shift of young Storks to migrate via the western flyway from the Czech Republic is most likely a result of immigration by individuals from growing western populations. This leads to diluting of populations migrating via the eastern flyway with migrants using the western flyway. Our study provides evidence that behavioural flexibility may drive dynamics of migration at the migratory divide, with changes of similar magnitudes as those driven by genetic change, as reported in passerines.