Movements of Immature Eurasian SpoonbillsPlatalea leucorodiafrom the Breeding Grounds of the Eastern Metapopulation In the Pannonian Basin

Abstract

Abstract. Data on the movement of immature Eurasian Spoonbills from the southern Pannonian Basin are presented for the first time and differences in migration patterns between the Atlantic and southern Pannonian breeding populations are identified. Movements of spoonbills from Western Europe are well known, but there is uncertainty about the movements of the eastern metapopulation, of which the southern Pannonian population forms part. Analyses were based on 707 resightings in Europe and North Africa of 272 color-ringed birds. The studied birds wintered in North Africa (predominantly Tunisia) or southern Italy (Sicily and Sardinia). Most birds used the central Mediterranean flyway, but crossed the Adriatic Sea at more northern latitudes than had previously been reported. With increase in age, the ratio of birds spending the breeding period at the wintering sites decreased (54.2% for second-year and 13.6% for third-year birds), while the ratio of those returning to the Pannonian breeding grounds increased ...