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Spring arrival response to climate change in birds: a case study from eastern Europe

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Abstract

This paper analyses the dependence of the first spring arrival dates of short/medium- and long-distance migrant bird species on climate warming in eastern Europe. The timing of arrival of the selected species at the observation site correlates with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, air temperature, atmospheric pressure, precipitation and wind characteristics. A positive correlation of fluctuations in winter and spring air temperatures with variations in the NAO index has been established in eastern Europe. Positive winter NAO index values are related to earlier spring arrival of birds in the eastern Baltic region and vice versa—arrival is late when the NAO index is negative. The impact of climate warming on the bird’s life cycle depends on local or regional climate characteristics. We tested the hypothesis that differences in climate indices between North Africa and Europe can influence the timing of spring arrival. Our results support the hypothesis that differences in first spring arrival dates between European populations occur after individuals cross the Sahara. We assume that the endogenous programme of migration control in short/medium-distance migrants synchronises with the changing environment on their wintering grounds and along their migration routes, whereas in long-distance migrants it is rather with environmental changes in the second part of their migratory route in Europe. Our results strongly indicate that the mechanism of dynamic balance in the interaction between the endogenous regulatory programme and environmental factors determines the pattern of spring arrival, as well as migration timing.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Raimondas Idzelis and Liutauras Grigaliunas, who assisted with collection of material on the first spring arrival of birds. My thanks are also due to the postgraduate student Rasa Zalakeviciute-Grivicke from Vilnius University and DaivaVaitkuviene from the Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University, who collected material from the archives of the Lithuanian Hydro-Meteorological Service and to those from the same service, who offered assistance contributing to the publication of this article. We also thank anonymous referees for useful and precise proposals and improvements to the manuscript. Many thanks to Dr. Franz Bairlein and Dr. Anders P. Møller for invitation to join several special conferences and workshops enabling us to prepare this paper. Research was carried out by the Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University and it complies with current laws of The Republic of Lithuania.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ecology, Vilnius University, Akademijos 2, 08412, Vilnius-21, Lithuania

    Mecislovas Zalakevicius, Galina Bartkeviciene, Liutauras Raudonikis & Justinas Janulaitis

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  1. Mecislovas Zalakevicius
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  2. Galina Bartkeviciene
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  3. Liutauras Raudonikis
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  4. Justinas Janulaitis
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Correspondence to Mecislovas Zalakevicius.

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Communicated by F. Bairlein

Appendix

Appendix

Table 5 Correlation between mean monthly European air temperatures (t°C) and the mean date of the first spring arrival of different species in Vilnius, Lithuania 1971–2004 (only significant Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients are presented, p<0.05)
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Table 6 Correlation between mean monthly European/African air temperatures (t°C) and the mean date of the first spring arrival of long-distance migrants in Vilnius, Lithuania 1971–2004 (only significant Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients are presented, p<0.05)
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Zalakevicius, M., Bartkeviciene, G., Raudonikis, L. et al. Spring arrival response to climate change in birds: a case study from eastern Europe. J Ornithol 147, 326–343 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-005-0016-6

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