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Common Terns on the East Atlantic Flyway: temporal–spatial distribution during the non-breeding period

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Abstract

We studied the temporal–spatial distribution of Common Terns Sterna hirundo along the East Atlantic Flyway. In 2009 and 2010 experienced adults from a colony on the German North Sea coast were tagged with geolocators recording light intensity and saltwater contact. Main objectives were the inter-individual temporal–spatial variation of migration routes and wintering areas, wintering site fidelity, and time spent at sea across the annual cycle. Geolocators had no effects on various traits of breeders, but their reproductive output suffered from egg breakage. This can be avoided by artificially incubating the eggs. Twelve routes of nine individuals were tracked. Transponder readings at the breeding site showed that birds left the colony 4 weeks before starting autumn migration. In spring and autumn, Common Terns stopped over around the Canary Islands. Main wintering distribution was the upwelling seas alongside the West African coast and similar between years, but different among individuals. Three females wintered further north and more offshore than six males. Pair mates wintered at different locations. Spring migration was longer (56 ± 8 days) than autumn migration (37 ± 17 days). During both migration and wintering the terns spent more time on salt water than during breeding and post-breeding. In most individuals saltwater contact was higher during the day than at night, reduced at sunrise and sunset likely due to foraging, and peaked about noon possibly related to resting or thermoregulation. Detailed ecological and behavioral studies of common terns during wintering are needed to clarify the results based on geolocators.

Zusammenfassung

Flussseeschwalben entlang des Ostatlantischen Zugweges: Raumzeitliche Verteilung außerhalb der Brutperiode Wir untersuchten die raumzeitliche Verteilung von Flussseeschwalben Sterna hirundo entlang des Ostatlantischen Zugweges. 2009 und 2010 wurden erfahrene Brutvögel einer Kolonie an der deutschen Nordseeküste mit Geolokatoren versehen, die Lichtintensität und Salzwasserkontakt aufzeichneten. Ziele der Untersuchungen waren die interindividuelle raumzeitliche Variation der Zugrouten und Überwinterungsgebiete, die Winterortstreue und die Dauer des Seewasserkontakts im Jahreszyklus. Die Geolokatoren beeinträchtigten die Flussseeschwalben nicht, der Reproduktionserfolg jedoch war durch Bruch der Eier verringert, was durch Austausch und Ausbrüten der Eier in einem Inkubator vermieden werden kann. 12 Routen von 9 Individuen wurden verfolgt. Die Registrierungen der zusätzlich mit Transpondern gekennzeichneten Vögel zeigten, dass sie den Koloniestandort vier Wochen vor Beginn der Herbstwanderung verließen. Im Frühjahr und Herbst legten einige Flussseeschwalben bei den Kanarischen Inseln einen Zwischenhalt ein. Die Hauptverbreitung im Winter erstreckte sich entlang der Westafrikanischen Küste und war ähnlich zwischen den Jahren, aber verschieden zwischen Individuen. Die drei Weibchen überwinterten weiter nördlich als die sechs Männchen und die Paarpartner an verschiedenen Orten. Der Frühjahrszug dauerte länger (56 ± 8 d) als der Herbstzug (37 ± 17 d). Während der Wanderung und Überwinterung verbrachten die Flussseeschwalben mehr Zeit auf dem Salzwasser als im Brutgebiet. Die meisten Individuen hatten tagsüber längere Salzwasserkontakte als nachts, die bei Sonnenaufgang und -untergang stark reduziert waren, vermutlich aufgrund der Nahrungssuche. Während der Mittagszeit waren Salzwasserkontakte besonders intensiv, möglicherweise bedingt durch Rasten oder Thermoregulation. Detaillierte Studien zu Ökologie und Verhalten im Winter sollten folgen, um die auf den Geolokatoren basierten Ergebnisse zu klären.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Christina Bauch, Alexander Braasch, Julia Spieker, Lesley Szostek, Katharina Weißenfels, Silas Wolf, and Christian Wolter for their help with field work. Simeon Lisovski helped with analyzing the light-level geolocation data. Kathrin Hüppop helped preparing the figures. We thank Dave Moore giving access to unpublished data of migration of common terns breeding at the Great Lakes and Olaf Geiter for providing ring recovery data of common terns. The manuscript was improved by helpful comments of Franz Bairlein and two anonymous reviewers. The studies were performed under license of the Nds. Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit Oldenburg and of the Stadt Wilhelmshaven. H.S. is financed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SCHM 2647/1-1) which also supported the project (BE 916/8 and 9).

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  1. Institute of Avian Research “Vogelwarte Helgoland”, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386, Wilhelmshaven, Germany

    Peter H. Becker, Heiko Schmaljohann, Juliane Riechert & Götz Wagenknecht

  2. University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, USA

    Heiko Schmaljohann

  3. Departament de Biologia Animal, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Av Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Zuzana Zajková & Jacob González-Solís

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  1. Peter H. Becker
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Becker, P.H., Schmaljohann, H., Riechert, J. et al. Common Terns on the East Atlantic Flyway: temporal–spatial distribution during the non-breeding period. J Ornithol 157, 927–940 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-016-1346-2

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