Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Diverse natal dispersal in four sibling red kites originating from Austria, including wintering in Tunisia

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Biologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Four red kites (Milvus milvus), (siblings, RK1, RK2, RK3 and RK4) from the same nest in north-eastern Austria were tagged with telemetry (GPS/GSM/UHF) loggers on 23 June 2018 during the pulli growth stage and tracked until 5 April 2019. RK1 (female), RK2 (male), RK3 (female) and RK4 (female) occupied post-fledging areas until 1 August 2018 when they then began to migrate following a south-eastern direction. RK1 wintered in central Italy and used three temporary settlement areas (TSA). RK2 and RK3 migrated to the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea and returned back to winter in their natal area. They used three and two TSA, respectively. RK4 reached the Italian coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, crossing the sea in 12 h with an average flight speed of 58.6 km·h−1). The bird flew at an average altitude of 429 m above sea level before arriving in Algeria. RK4 then crossed the neighbouring border and wintered in Tunisia. It used two TSA (one in the Czech Republic and one in Tunisia). The migration behaviour and wintering locations among these floaters with the same genetic background during natal dispersal was substantially different and supposedly influenced by various environmental factors rather than by genetics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

References

  • Aebischer A (2009) Migration and wintering of Swiss red kites assessed by satellite telemetry. In: David F (ed) Proceedings of the red kite international symposium, October 17–18, 2009, Montbéliard, France. LP Mission Rapaces and LPO Franche-Comté, Paris, pp 48–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Agostini N, Panuccio M, Pasquaretta C (2015) Morphology, flight performance, and water crossing tendencies of Afro-Palearctic raptors during migration. Curr Zool 61:951–958. https://doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/61.6.951

  • Bairlein F, Dierschke J, Dierschke V, Salewski V, Geiter O, Hüppop K, Köppen U, Fiedler W (2014) Atlas der Vogelzugs, Ringfunde deutscher Brut- und Gastvögel. AULA-Verlag, Wiebelsheim

    Google Scholar 

  • BirdLife International (2015) Milvus migrans. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T22734972A60310651. Accessed 18 May 2019

  • Bønløkke J, Madsen JJ, Thorup K, Pedersen KT, Bjerrum M, Rahbek C (2006) Dansk Trækfugleatlas, the Danish bird migration atlas. Humlebæk, Forlaget Rhodos A/S and Zoological Museum, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen

  • Brown LH, Urban EK, Newman K (1982) The birds of Africa. Academic Press Inc., London

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter I, Grice P (2000) Studies of re-established red kites in England. British Birds 93:304–322

    Google Scholar 

  • Corso A (2001) Raptor migration across the strait of Messina, southern Italy. British Birds 94:196–202

    Google Scholar 

  • Csörgő T, Karcza Z, Halmos G, Magyar F, Gyurácz J, Szép T, Bankovics A, Schmidt A, Schmidt E (2009) Magyar madárvonulási atlasz. Kossuth Kiadó, Budapest

    Google Scholar 

  • Erni B, Liechti F, Underhill LG, Bruderer B (2002) Wind and rain govern the intensity of nocturnal bird migration in Central Europe—a log-linear regression analysis. Ardea 90:155–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Etchécopar RD, Hüe F (1964) Les oiseaux du Nord de L'Afrique, de la Mer Rouge aux Canaries. N. Boubee, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans IM, Pienkowski MW (1991) World status of the red kite. A background to the experimental reintroduction to England and Scotland. British Birds 84:171–184

  • Ferreira R, Zina H, Marques AT, Delgado A, Venade D, Costa H (2014–2015) Wintering population of red kite Milvus milvus in the Castro Verde SPA (Portugal). Airo 23:55–60

  • Galea C, Massa B (1985) Notes on the raptors migration across the Central Mediterranean. ICBP Technical Publication No 5:257–261

  • Gamauf A, Dosedel R (2012) Satellite telemetry of saker falcons (Falco cherrug) in Austria: juvenile dispersal at the wetermost distribution limit of the species. Aquila 119:65–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaultier T (1985) Diurnal raptors in Tunisia: status and conservation. Bulletin of the World Working Group on Birds of Prey 2:61–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Génsbøl B, Thiede W (2008) Collins birds of prey. HarperCollins Publishers, London, United Kingdom

    Google Scholar 

  • Gyurácz J, Károssy C, Csörgő T (1997) The autumn migration of sedge warblers in relation to weather conditions. Weather 52:149–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris T (2013) Migration hotspots. The World’s Best Bird Migration Sites, Bloomsbury, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Heneberg P, Dolinay M, Matušík H, Pfeiffer T, Nachtigall W, Bizos J, Šimčíková D, Literák I (2016) Conservation of the red kite Milvus milvus (Aves: Accipitriformes) is not affected by the establishment of a broad hybrid zone with the black kite Milvus migrans migrans in Central Europe. PLoS One 11(7):e0159202. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159202

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Heredia B, Alonso JC, Hiraldo F (1991) Space and habitat use by red kites Milvus milvus during winter in the Guadalquivir marshes: a comparison between resident and wintering populations. Ibis 133:374–381

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hiraldo F, Heredia B, Alonso JC (1993) Communal roosting of wintering red kites Milvus milvus (Aves, Accipitridae): social feeding strategies for the exploitation of food resources. Ethology 93:117–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hiraldo F, Bustamante J, Viñuela J (1995) Überwinterung des Rotmilans (Milvus milvus) in Spanien. Zeitschrift für Vogelkunde und Naturschutz in Hessen, Vogel und Umwelt, Sonderheft 9:53–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Isenmann P, Gaultier T, Azafzaf H, Dlensi H, Smart M (2005) Oiseaux de Tunisie/birds of Tunisia. Societé d’Etudes Ornitologiques de France, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirwan GM, Boyla KA, Castell P, Demirci B, Özen M, Welch H, Marlow T (2008) The birds of Turkey. The distribution, taxonomy and breeding of Turkish birds. Christopher Helm, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Literák I, Balla M, Vyhnal S, Škrábal J, Peške L, Chrašč P (2020) Natal dispersal of black kites from Slovakia. Biologia. https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-019-00323-x

  • Miller RA, Onrubia A, Martín B, Kaltenecker GS, Carlisle JD, Bechard MJ, Ferrer M (2016) Local and regional weather patterns influencing post-breeding migration counts of soaring birds at the strait of Gibraltar, Spain. Ibis 158:106–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12326

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mougeot F, Garcia JT, Viñuela J (2011) Breeding biology, behaviour, diet and conservation of the red kite (Milvus milvus), with particular emphasis on Mediterranean populations. In: Zuberogoitia I, Martínez JE (eds) Ecology and Conservationof European Forest-dwelling Raptors. Estudios Medioambientales Icarus S.L. Departamento de Agricultura de la Diputacion Foral de Bizkaia, Bilbao, Spain, pp 190–204

  • Nachtigall W, Stube M, Herrmann S (2003) Aktionsraum und Habitatnutzung des Rotmilans (Milvus milvus) im Winter – eine telemetrische Studie im Nordharzvorland. J Ornithol 144:284–294. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0361.2003.03005.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nemček V, Uhrin M, Chavko J, Deutschova L, Maderič B, Noga M (2016) Habitat structure of temporary settlement areas of young saker falcon Falco cherrug females during movements in Europe. Acta Ornithol 51:93–103. https://doi.org/10.3161/00016454AO2016.51.1.008

  • Onrubia A (2016) Spatial and temporal patterns of soaring birds migration through the straits of Gibraltar. Doctoral Thesis, University of Leon

  • Orta J, Christie DA, Garcia EFJ (2019) Red Kite (Milvus milvus). In: del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargatal J, Christie DA, de Juana E (eds) Handbook of the birds of the world alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, https://www.hbw.com/node/52977

  • Ortlieb R (2014) Der Rotmilan Milvus milvus. 5., unveränderte Autlage von 1989. Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei Bd. 532, VerlagKG Wolf, Magdeburg

  • Otto W (2017) Ein deutscher Rotmilan Milvus milvus in Elfenbeinküste? Ornithol Jahresber Mus Heine 34:23–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Penteriani V, del Mar Delgado M (2009) Thoughts on natal dispersal. J Raptor Res 43:90–98. https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-08-39.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeiffer T, Meyburg BU (2009) Satellitentelemetrische Untersuchungen zum Zug- und Überwinterungsverhalten thüringischer Rotmilane Milvus milvus. Vogelwarte 47:171–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Prommer M, Bagyura J (2008) Dangerous journeys of sakers of the Carpatian Basin. In: Sielicki J, Mizera T (eds) Peregrine falcon populations – status and perspectives in the 21st century. Turul, Warsaw, pp 443–452

    Google Scholar 

  • Prommer M, Milobog Y, Gavrilyuk M, Vetrov V (2014) Juvenile dispersal of saker falcons in Ukraine according satellite telemetry. Biologichni Nauki, Visnik Cherkatskogo Universitetu 36(329):129–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarà M (1996) Wintering raptors in the Central Mediterranean Basin. In: Muntaner J, Mayol J (eds) Biología y Conservación de las Rapaces Mediterráneas, 1994. Monografías, no. 4, SEO Madrid, pp 345–359

  • Schmidt M, Vogl W, Winkler H (2014) Grundlagen zur Erforschung des Vogelzuggeschehens in Österreich. Teil I. Allgemeine Ergebnisse und Artauswertungen, BirdLife Österreich, Vienna

    Google Scholar 

  • Schröpfer L (2008) Luňák červený Milvus milvus Haja červená Red kite. In: Cepák et al. (eds) Atlas migrace ptáků České a Slovenské republiky. Aventinum, Prague, pp 278–279

  • Shirihai H, Yousef R, Alon D, Kirwan GM, Spaar R (2000) Raptor migration in Israel and the Middle East. A summary of 30 years of field research. Tech. Publ. Int. Birding And Res. Centre in Eilat, Israel

  • Spina F, Volponi S (2008) Atlante della Migrazione degli Uccelli in Italia. 1. non Passeriformi. Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare, Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA). Tipografia CSR-Roma, Rome

  • Suh A, Kriegs JO, Brosius J, Schmitz J (2011) Retroposon insertions and the chronology of avian sex chromosome evolution. Mol Biol Evol 28:2993–2997. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msr147

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thévenot M, Vernon R, Bergier P (2003) The birds of Morocco: an annotated checklist (BOU checklist series). British Ornithologists´ Union, Tring, UK

  • Vidal-Mateo J, De la Puente J, Mellone U, Bermejo A, Urios V (2015) Migration routes and wintering areas of wintering red kites in Spain. In: De la Puente J, De la Torre V (eds) Abstracts book of the II international symposium on the red kite: 25. Binaced (Huesca). Edit Grupo Ornitológico SEO-Monticola and Fondo de amigos del Buitre, Spain

  • Viñuela J (1996) Situacion del milano real (Milvus milvus) en el Mediterraneo. In: Muntaner J, Mayol J (eds) Biología y Conservación de las Rapaces Mediterráneas, 1994. Monografías, No. 4, SEO Madrid, pp 91–100

  • Weather Online UK (2019). Current weather and weather forecast worldwide, https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/.

  • Weir DN (1973) Winter range of a red kite in East Inverness-shire. Scottish Birds 7:257–258

    Google Scholar 

  • Wuttky K (1968) Ergebnisse 10jähriger Beobachtungen an der Greifvogelpopulation des Wildforschungsgebietes Hakel (Kr. Aschersleben). Beiträge zur Jagd- und Wildforschung 6:159–173

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Rudolf Jureček, Mohamed Khalil Meliane, Amira Saidi, Pavel Štěpánek, Hassan Tarabai, and Karl-Heinz Wegleitner, who helpfully cooperated with us in this study. We thank Connor Panter for the English language editing. We thank David Horal for critical comments to the first draft of the paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1946/1, 61242, Brno, Czech Republic

    Ivan Literák & Jan Škrábal

  2. Technisches Büro für Biologie Mag. Dr. Rainer Raab, Quadenstrasse 13, 2232, Deutsch-Wagram, Austria

    Rainer Raab, Péter Spakovszky & Jochen Steindl

  3. Marwell Wildlife, Colden Common, Winchester, SO21 1JH, UK

    Marie Petretto

Authors
  1. Ivan Literák
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rainer Raab
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marie Petretto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jan Škrábal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Péter Spakovszky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jochen Steindl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ivan Literák.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The author declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Literák, I., Raab, R., Petretto, M. et al. Diverse natal dispersal in four sibling red kites originating from Austria, including wintering in Tunisia. Biologia 75, 1399–1407 (2020). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-019-00390-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-019-00390-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation