Autumn Migration Research Articles

Genetic Control of Avian Migration: Insights from Studies in Latitudinal Passerine Migrants.

Twice-a-year, large-scale movement of billions of birds across latitudinal gradients is one of the most fascinating behavioral phenomena seen among animals. These seasonal voyages in autumn southwards and in spring northwards occur within a discrete time window and, as part of an overall annual itinerary, involve close interaction of the endogenous rhythm at several levels with prevailing photoperiod and temperature. The overall success of seasonal migrations thus depends on their close coupling with the other annual sub-cycles, namely those of the breeding, post-breeding recovery, molt and non-migratory periods. There are striking alterations in the daily behavior and physiology with the onset and end of the migratory period, as shown by the phase inversions in behavioral (a diurnal passerine bird becomes nocturnal and flies at night) and neural activities. Interestingly, there are also differences in the behavior, physiology and regulatory strategies between autumn and spring (vernal) migrations. Concurrent molecular changes occur in regulatory (brain) and metabolic (liver, flight muscle) tissues, as shown in the expression of genes particularly associated with 24 h timekeeping, fat accumulation and the overall metabolism. Here, we present insights into the genetic basis of migratory behavior based on studies using both candidate and global gene expression approaches in passerine migrants, with special reference to Palearctic-Indian migratory blackheaded and redheaded buntings.

Survival and cause-specific mortality in adult females of a northern migratory ungulate

Survival of ungulates can vary seasonally due to changing environmental conditions, e.g. weather or predation pressure. The wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus, “WFR”) migrate between calving and wintering grounds. The annual cycle of female WFR includes four main seasons (wintering, calving, rutting and autumn migration) during which they are subject to different conditions, but almost nothing is known about their survival or mortality patterns. We measured survival in 305 GPS-tagged female WFR in two subpopulations in Finland (2010–2022). Data were analysed for inter-annual and seasonal patterns in survival and cause-specific mortality (predation, traffic, accidents and unknown causes) with known-fate models. Inter-annual survival in Suomenselkä (mean 0.90) showed an increasing trend during the study and was higher than in Kainuu (mean 0.84) which showed a declining trend. Seasonal variation in survival was population dependent. Survival was lowest in Kainuu during the winter while in Suomenselkä, it was lowest during autumn migration. Concerning cause-specific mortality, seasonal variation mirrored variation in predation that was the primary cause of mortality (55% of cases). Wolves (Canis lupus) killed the majority of predated individuals (58%). Predation rates were two times higher in Kainuu where the wolf density was higher. We provide the first adult survival estimates for WFR and show that the seasonal variation in survival is clearly different between these two northern ungulate populations. This indicates that seasonal variation in survival is determined by site-dependent factors and cannot be generalised across populations.

Behavioral responses to offshore windfarms during migration of a declining shorebird species revealed by GPS-telemetry

EU member countries and the UK are currently installing numerous offshore windfarms (OWFs) in the Baltic and North Seas to achieve decarbonization of their energy systems. OWFs may have adverse effects on birds; however, estimates of collision risks and barrier effects for migratory species are notably lacking, but are essential to inform marine spatial planning. We therefore compiled an international dataset consisting of 259 migration tracks for 143 Global Positioning System-tagged Eurasian curlews (Numenius arquata arquata) from seven European countries recorded over 6 years, to assess individual response behaviors when approaching OWFs in the North and Baltic Seas at two different spatial scales (i.e. up to 3.5 km and up to 30 km distance). Generalized additive mixed models revealed a significant small-scale increase in flight altitudes, which was strongest at 0–500 m from the OWF and which was more pronounced during autumn than during spring, due to higher proportions of time spent migrating at rotor level. Furthermore, four different small-scale integrated step selection models consistently detected horizontal avoidance responses in about 70% of approaching curlews, which was strongest at approximately 450 m from the OWFs. No distinct, large-scale avoidance effects were observed on the horizontal plane, although they could possibly have been confounded by changes in flight altitudes close to land. Overall, 28.8% of the flight tracks crossed OWFs at least once during migration. Flight altitudes within the OWFs overlapped with the rotor level to a high degree in autumn (50%) but to a significantly lesser extent in spring (18.5%). Approximately 15.8% and 5.8% of the entire curlew population were estimated to be at increased risk during autumn and spring migration, respectively. Our data clearly show strong small-scale avoidance responses, which are likely to reduce collision risk, but simultaneously highlight the substantial barrier effect of OWFs for migrating species. Although alterations in flight paths of curlews due to OWFs seem to be moderate with respect to the overall migration route, there is an urgent need to quantify the respective energetic costs, given the massive ongoing construction of OWFs in both sea areas.

The War-Damaged Urban Environment Becomes Deadly Trap for Bats: Case from Kharkiv City (NE Ukraine) in 2022

Abstract The full-scale war in Ukraine negatively impacted populations of urban and semi-urban animals. This study examines the effects of war-related damages on urban populations of bats in Kharkiv city (NE Ukraine) during 2022. Our findings suggest that 45.1% of buildings used as wintering roosts for N. noctula were either partially damaged or completely destroyed by shellings, which may have led to the direct killing of approximately 7,000 bats. Additionally, the war-damaged urban environments in Kharkiv serve as a deadly trap for bats during the period of autumn migration or swarming. Bats flew into buildings’ interiors through windows that were left open or broken by blast waves, resulting in entrapment. The total number of N. noctula trapped inside buildings damaged by shelling was 2,836 individuals, with a death rate of approximately 30%. The group size of trapped bats was more numerous than in previous years, and the main findings were concentrated in war-damaged districts of the city.

Supplementary files for "Long-term trends in abundance, phenology, and morphometrics of Little Stint Calidris minuta during autumn migration in southern Sweden, 1946–2020"

Supplementary files for "Long-term trends in abundance, phenology, and morphometrics of Little Stint Calidris minuta during autumn migration in southern Sweden, 1946–2020"

On the factors affecting migration and straying in brown trout (Salmo trutta)

Anadromous brown trout display a continuum of life-history strategies with high intraspecific variability across their distribution range. While many of these strategies have been widely studied, some have received considerably less attention. In this study, we investigated intraspecific differences in two overlooked life-history strategies—outmigration phenology (spring vs. autumn migrants) and the prevalence of straying—in brown trout originating from four rivers flowing into the same fjord system. Juvenile brown trout ( Salmo trutta) were tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in their natal river, and were subsequently followed during their outmigration and subsequent return to freshwater. We found that patterns of outmigration (spring vs. autumn migrant, day of season) and return to freshwater (return likelihood, strayers vs. nonstrayers) differed between rivers, as did the factors (length, condition) affecting these outcomes. We also found evidence that outmigration phenology was linked to the likelihood of returning in a river-specific way. Our findings suggest that the costs and benefits of autumn migration and straying differ depending on an individual's home river.

Introduction of Multiple Novel High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (H5N1) Virus of Clade 2.3.4.4b into South Korea in 2022

Since October 2020, H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) viruses have spread to many countries. Although these viruses evolved from Eurasian ancestors, reassortant with other LPAI viruses has generated various genotypes. Here, we identified three H5N1 HPAI viruses belonging to clade 2.3.4.4b; these viruses were isolated from mandarin duck, common teal, and domestic breeder ducks in October 2022 during an avian influenza (AI) active surveillance program. Two of the H5N1 viruses (MD/WA496 and BD/H493) have been found sporadically in China, Russia, and Korea. It is presumed that two viruses with a similar gene constellation isolated in Russia, China, and Korea were introduced into the breeding area during the spring migration, and were introduced newly to Korea during the autumn migration. Due to international bird migration, the other virus (CT/WA537) is most similar (99.3–99.8%) to a virus detected in North Dakota, USA in April 2022. These results suggest that H5N1 viruses with at least two genotypes were introduced at the same time into Korea during the autumn of 2022, and that they originated from Eurasian breeding grounds and North America. Thus, multiple 2.3.4.4b H5N1 viruses were introduced into Korea during the autumn season of 2022.

Bean goose migration shows a long-term temporal shift to earlier spring, but not to later autumn migration in Finland

Climate change can challenge the inherited or learned behavioural patterns that were useful in the past. In particular, it may change the spatio-temporal dynamics of migratory behaviour in birds. Here, we explored a 40-year-long time series of Bean Goose (Anser fabalis) observations using a citizen science database (tiira.fi – BirdLife Finland) to link the timing of the migration across last forty years and with the large-scale temporal weather fluctuation described by an index of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). During 1978–2018, the peak of spring migration of the Bean Goose has advanced approximately a month, whereas the timing of autumn migration has remained more similar across the years. The NAO index was associated only with spring migration. Strong temporal changes of the Bean Goose migration are evident as they adjust their migratory behaviour to changing spring conditions.

Long-term changes in autumn migration timing of Garden Warblers Sylvia borin at the southern Baltic coast in response to spring, summer and autumn temperatures

Many migrant European birds have been departing their breeding grounds earlier in recent decades in response to rising temperatures from climate change. We examined long-term changes in the autumn migration timing of immature Garden Warblers using data from ringing station Bukowo-Kopań on the Polish Baltic coast in 1967–2018. We calculated an Annual Anomaly (AA) of migration and the dates when 10%, 50% and 90% of migrating birds were caught at each station. We modelled AA and the dates of these percentiles of passage for each station against the year and bi-monthly spring, summer and autumn temperatures as explanatory variables in multiple linear regression models. The overall passage (AA) of immature Garden Warblers advanced by 7 days and the dates of the 50th and 90th passage percentiles advanced by 6–11 days. Overall passage, and dates for 50% of passage occurred later the higher summer temperatures rose in Finland. We suggest favourable foraging conditions in warm summers at these breeding grounds and at first stopover sites delayed the passage because these inexperienced birds took advantage of the conditions to accumulate fuel before migrating south. The overall passage, and the dates of 10%, 50% and 90% of autumn passage occurred the earlier the higher were spring temperatures on spring migration route in Italy, and the higher were mean summer temperatures at breeding grounds in southern Sweden and Norway. We suggest a trans-generation carry-over effect, as warm springs encourage early arrival and nesting of returning adults, thus earlier broods and hatching of juveniles, which also grow faster in warm summers. These effects enable immatures to migrate earlier in autumn after a warm breeding season. The long-term increase in Europe’s spring and summer temperatures thus help explain the shift in Garden Warblers’ migration timing.

Current and Retrospective Numbers of Anseriform Birds in Autumn Migration in the Selenga River Delta (Republic of Buryatia, Lake Baikal)

Current and Retrospective Numbers of Anseriform Birds in Autumn Migration in the Selenga River Delta (Republic of Buryatia, Lake Baikal)

Citizen science photographs indicate different timing and location use of migrating adult and juvenile Whimbrels

Abstract It is imperative to identify factors that influence population trends for declining species, but demographic parameters can be especially challenging to quantify for birds, such as Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus), that breed in locations that are logistically difficult to access. At least two disjunct Whimbrel populations breed in remote and difficult to access northern latitudes but migrate through the heavily populated North American Atlantic Coast during autumn migration. Here, we capitalize on the Whimbrel migrations through the more populated coastal areas to age Whimbrels in photographs uploaded to the citizen science website, eBird, to identify the timing and location of juvenile Whimbrels staging for trans-Atlantic migratory flights. Mean photograph dates for adult migration were synchronous with reported dates for the Mackenzie Delta population that breeds along the northern coast of Northwest Territories, Canada, and stages in Atlantic Canada and for the Hudson Bay population that stages along the South Atlantic USA coast. However, the mean dates of juvenile photographs were 29–41 days later than adult dates, depending on the region. Space use by juveniles along the coast also differed from that reported for adults. Adults primarily depend on Atlantic Canada and the South Atlantic USA coast during fall migration. The percentage of juveniles was greater outside these two primary staging locations. Region-specific juvenile photograph dates suggest that juveniles may drift farther south than the majority of adults from their respective populations. The percentage of juvenile photos collected better predicted the percentage of adult photos 3 years later than 1 and 2 years later which is consistent with Whimbrel’s delayed reproductive strategy and provides validation for using photographs to obtain age ratios. As photograph uploads become more commonplace, this and similar analyses may be used to obtain information that would normally be logistically difficult with traditional field methods.

Life-cycle analysis of an endangered migratory goose to assess the impact of conservation actions on population recovery

Evaluating the effectiveness of conservation actions is challenging for migratory species because a population can be impacted anywhere along its route. Conservation actions for the critically endangered Fennoscandian lesser white-fronted goose population include culling of red foxes in the breeding area and habitat improvements and reduction of illegal hunting in the non-breeding areas. One goal of the predator control strategy is to prevent adult birds from using an autumn migration route through western Asia, where mortality is believed to be higher than on the migration route through eastern Europe. We used 23 years of count data obtained at different staging areas to parameterize a seasonal state-space model describing the full-annual cycle dynamics of this population and evaluate whether the recent population recovery was linked to these conservation efforts. The results did not provide evidence that predator control influenced population recovery, as survival on the European route did not appear higher than on the allegedly riskier Asian route. However, adult survival at staging areas on both routes and at wintering sites may have improved in the last decade, suggesting a positive effect of the other conservation initiatives. These results emphasize the importance of including the non-breeding dynamics in population assessments of migratory species and highlight the challenge of evaluating the efficacy of separate conservation actions when a proper experimental design is unfeasible. Our study, which is a unique case of cross-national, coordinated conservation efforts, exemplifies how to model complex population dynamics to assess the influence of costly conservation initiatives.

The using of data on the moult progress in the study of migration periods of the annual cycle of passerines

Using trapping and ringing of birds for studying the ecology and the demographic parameters of populations is necessary to determine as accurately as possible in which period of the annual cycle each individual was caught. The first-year passerine birds undergo juvenile migration (usually in form of postfledging dispersal) and postmoulting (autumn) migration in summer-autumn period. These stages of annual cycle are difficult to identify in trapping birds by calendar dates because the timing of migration seasons can significantly overlap in the same location. The study of moult at the Ladoga Ornithological Station made it possible to determine the states of plumage that mark juvenile and postmoulting migrations in first-year birds. The article presents two examples of the use of moult progress in the study of bird migrations. The first one is an analysis of the ratio of the terms of departure and passage in three long-distant and three short-distant migrants of passerines. It has been shown that the timing of the departure of local birds is earlier than the timing of the passage of other populations in all studied species, while the last local individuals in long-distance migrants are recorded long before the end of the passage of the species, and in short-distance migrants they can be found until its end. As another example, an analysis of long-term trends in the timing of summer-autumn movements in the Garden Warbler was performed. It is shown that for almost a fifty-year observation period, neither the timing of juvenile migration nor the timing of postmoulting migration of first-year birds has changed. At the same time, the timing of the spring passage of the species shifted to earlier. As a result, the duration of stay of the Garden Warbler in the Ladoga region has increased.

Autumn migration tracks of Helopsaltes grasshopper-warblers from Northeast Asia support recent taxonomic assignments.

Migration strategies are genetically inherited in most songbirds, and closely related species can exhibit markedly contrasting migration programs. Here, we investigate the autumn migration of one Helopsaltes grasshopper-warbler from a population near Magadan, North East Russia, based on light-level geolocation. Although often considered to belong to Middendorff's Grasshopper-warbler H. ochotensis, recent genetic studies suggest that birds from this population are more closely related to Pallas's Grasshopper-warbler H. certhiola. We compare the migratory behavior of the Magadan bird with two Pallas's Grasshopper-warblers tracked from populations in the Kolyma River valley and the Amur region, Russia. We found similar migration patterns in all three tracked individuals, with stopover sites in eastern China and wintering sites in mainland Southeast Asia, within the known range for Pallas's Grasshopper-warbler. Furthermore, based on morphological data compiled during bird ringing, we were able to confirm the presence of potential "Magadan grasshopper-warblers" during spring and autumn migration in Thailand. Our scant data provide further evidence that Magadan Helopsaltes, notwithstanding their morphological resemblance to Middendorff's Grasshopper-warbler, constitute a population of Pallas's Grasshopper-warbler.

Migratory Daily Departure Times of Chinese Sparrowhawks (Accipiter soloensis) and Gray-Faced Buzzards (Butastur indicus) in Taiwan

ABSTRACT The strategies that migratory raptors adopt during migration reveal their long-term adaptations to different environments along their migration routes and of their stopover sites. We recorded the daily departure time of Chinese Sparrowhawks (Accipiter soloensis) and Gray-faced Buzzards (Butastur indicus) during their southward migration in autumn 2019 at Kenting National Park, southern Taiwan, and 2020 in Yushan National Park, central Taiwan. At both watchsites, Gray-faced Buzzards started their migration journey about 1 hr earlier than Chinese Sparrowhawks. After adjusting for the local sunrise time, the first daily appearance time of Gray-faced Buzzards (–2.5 ± 9.3 min) was significantly earlier than that of Chinese Sparrowhawks (47.0 ± 29.3 min) by about 50 min at Kenting National Park. Though they initiated migration later in morning at montane stopover sites in Yushan National Park, the same trend was observed and with even greater difference, about 70 min. These results indicate that these two species migrate in different daily periods and suggest that Chinese Sparrowhawks might choose to exploit stronger thermal uplifts in September before leaving the island, as they started migration later in the morning. In contrast, Gray-faced Buzzards, a species more dependent on soaring-gliding flight, set off earlier in the day, probably to take advantage of stronger northeastern tailwinds that begin in October. We conclude that the prevailing monthly wind conditions, particularly influenced by the northeast monsoons, shape the different diurnal migration times of these two raptors migrating along the East-Asian Oceanic Flyway.

Fuel load and flight range estimation of migrating passerines in the western part of the Carpathian Basin during the autumn migration

Estimating fuel load and potential flight ranges of migrant passerines are basic issues in understanding bird migration strategies. Thirteen sub-Saharan and three pre-Saharan migrant passerine species were analysed in this study. The birds were captured at the Tömörd Bird Ringing Station in the western part of the Carpathian Basin. A general linear model with body mass as the dependent variable and fat score, muscle score and wing length as independent variables were used to estimate lean body mass (body mass without fuel deposits) and fuel load. In ten of the species studied, models considering interactions between factors fit the data better than the main-effect models. Body mass was positively correlated with the fat score in all species, with muscle score in ten species and wing length in 14 species. During autumn, fuel load tended to be larger in the sub-Saharan migrants, especially in four species which pass over the Mediterranean Sea, Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina), Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin) and Barred Warbler (Curruca nisoria). Nine sub-Saharan migrants, Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris), Sedge Warbler (A. schoenobaenus), Eurasian Reed Warbler (A. scirpaceus), European Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata), Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix), Willow Warbler (Ph. trochilus), Common Whitethroat (C. communis) and Lesser Whitethroat (C. curruca) had estimated flight ranges similar (<1300 km) to two pre-Saharans, European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) and Eurasian Blackap (S. atricapilla). The three short-distance migrants, including the Common Chiffchaff (Ph. collybita) with the shortest distance, had sufficient fuel load to reach their southern European wintering sites without needing to refuel at stopover sites.

Breeding phase and outcome determine space use in European rollers Coracias garrulus prior to migration.

The breeding period is a demanding and time-constrained phase for migratory bird species. Breeding outcome and duration can interact with the extent and duration of post-breeding movements, resulting in individual differences in space use ultimately influencing later stages of the annual cycle. We present space-use and home range estimates during the breeding season for 21 European rollers Coracias garrulus tracked between 2018 and 2022, in Italy and Croatia. Using high-resolution spatial GPS data coupled with regular nest-box monitoring, we analyzed differences in space use during the incubation/nestling period versus post-breeding period prior to migration, accounting for the breeding outcome (successful vs. failure). We found that adult movements were strongly reduced during the first phase, whereas increased in the post-breeding phase, especially for failed breeders. Successful breeders remained in the surroundings of the nest site, whereas unsuccessful ones tended to abandon the nest and visit distant areas (up to 500 km) for long periods (60.5 ± 6.2 days). Breeding outcome did not influence the departure date of autumn migration, suggesting that failed breeders used this period for exploratory movements but not for advancing the onset of migration. Such exploratory movements may be functional to prospect and inform settlement decisions in failed breeders in search of new breeding opportunities and may be particularly important in migratory species, which generally have a limited period to gather information prior to autumn migration. The study demonstrates the need to investigate seasonal movements in different populations and the potential importance of prospecting post-breeding movements for long-distance migratory species.

Flyways and migratory behaviour of the Vega gull (Larus vegae), a little-known Arctic endemic.

Large gulls are generalist predators that play an important role in Arctic food webs. Describing the migratory patterns and phenology of these predators is essential to understanding how Arctic ecosystems function. However, from all six large Arctic gull taxa, including three long-distance migrants, to date seasonal movements have been studied only in three and with small sample sizes. To document the flyways and migratory behaviour of the Vega gull, a widespread but little-studied Siberian migrant, we monitored 28 individuals with GPS loggers over a mean period of 383 days. Birds used similar routes in spring and autumn, preferring coastal to inland or offshore routes, and travelled 4000-5500 km between their breeding (Siberia) and wintering grounds (mainly the Republic of Korea and Japan). Spring migration mainly occurred in May, and was twice as fast and more synchronized among individuals than autumn migration. Migration bouts mainly occurred during the day and twilight, but rates of travel were always higher during the few night flights. Flight altitudes were nearly always higher during migration bouts than during other bouts, and lower during twilight than during night or day. Altitudes above 2000m were recorded during migrations, when birds made non-stop inland flights over mountain ranges and vast stretches of the boreal forest. Individuals showed high inter-annual consistency in their movements in winter and summer, indicating strong site fidelity to their breeding and wintering sites. Within-individual variation was similar in spring and autumn, but between individual variation was higher in autumn than in spring. Compared to previous studies, our results suggest that the timing of spring migration in large Arctic gulls is likely constrained by snowmelt at breeding grounds, while the duration of migration windows could be related to the proportion of inland versus coastal habitats found along their flyways ('fly-and-forage' strategy). Ongoing environmental changes are hence likely in short term to alter the timing of their migration, and in long term possibly affect the duration if e.g. the resource availability along the route changes in the future.

Quantifying spatial characteristics of the Bowhead Whale Aerial Survey Project (BWASP) survey design

The Bowhead Whale Aerial Survey Project (BWASP) has been conducted annually since 1979 in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea to monitor the distribution and relative abundance of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort (BCB) stock of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) during their autumn migration. BWASP was created to specifically address broad-scale research and management questions related to bowhead whale ecology, with particular interest in the potential effects of oil and natural gas exploration, development and production activities on the BCB bowhead whales. With elevated concerns about climate change, increasing oil and gas activities and the forecasted increase in vessel traffic, it is expected that interest in the BWASP dataset will also increase in order to evaluate effects of these anthropogenic activities on BCB bowhead whales and indigenous whaling. The following analysis quantified the spatial characteristics of the BWASP survey design and provided guidelines for the types of investigations that the BWASP data can potentially address. Sampling lags (transect spacing) in the BWASP survey design of approximately 20km along the east/west axis of the study area limit the spatial scale of phenomena that can be detected using data from a single BWASP survey. Therefore, BWASP data are relatively uninformative for studying variability in distribution or relative abundance along the east/west axis over short time scales (one survey) and within small areas measuring less than approximately 20km. In addition, computer simulations showed spatial heterogeneity in the long-term survey coverage probability (the probability that a given location will be included in a survey having an assumed effective search width under the BWASP survey design). Pooled transects created from simulated surveys resulted in a repeating diamond pattern in which coverage probability was low. Analyses incorporating data from many BWASP surveys should account for this spatial heterogeneity, via either the survey coverage probabilities or quantification of survey effort; otherwise estimates of variables such as relative density, density, or habitat use may be biased. The BWASP surveys have increased understanding of the broad-scale patterns of bowhead distribution, relative abundance and behaviour. The utility of this dataset in informing other questions will depend upon the scale of the ecological phenomena under investigation and the analytical scales used to address the questions.

Siberian Crane Migration: Individuals Repeat Timing and Route in Spring Migration

Stopover habitats in long-distance migrants such as Siberian Cranes (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) are subject to dynamic changes, both seasonally and spatially. Due to the difficulty in conserving stopover habitats across vast geographies, it is necessary to clarify the timing and route patterns of stopover sites in order to take practical measures to protect habitats. From 2014 to 2018, we successfully tracked n = 10 Siberian Cranes by satellite tracking and obtained data for n = 26 complete migrations. We obtained the annual cycle of cranes and analyzed the repeatability between seasons and individuals. According to tracking data, Siberian Cranes started and ended autumn migration on 23 September and 19 November, respectively. Spring migration started on 8 April and ended on 4 June. The migration routes between seasons showed spatial similarity but less repeatability. There is significant repeatability in migration routes from 48°N to 58°N (Russian areas) between individuals in spring. Our results provide support for some seasonal plasticity in the timing of migration and flexibility in routes taken by migrating Siberian Cranes. Other than rigid patrol and guardianship for the entire spring, we also propose strengthening monitoring and protection in the identified stopover areas from the end of March to the beginning of May each year.