Unravelling migration routes and wintering grounds of European rollers using light-level geolocators

Abstract

We used light-level geolocators to track the migratory journey of a globally near-threatened trans-Saharan migrant, the European roller Coracias garrulus, from its breeding grounds in Iberia to its wintering grounds in southern Africa. During autumn migration, birds followed the western African coast with lengthy stopovers within sub-Saharan countries before crossing the equatorial rainforests towards the wintering areas, mainly in Angola. Although based in only two tracked birds, comparison of our results with other studies suggests that western European rollers use distinct migration routes and stopover sites towards shared wintering grounds. Time spent in widely separated and ecologically disparate countries highlights the vulnerability of the species facing the cumulative risks of each area used along their journey.