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| Background: For most Afro-Palearctic migrants, particularly small songbirds, spatiotemporal migration schedules
and migratory connectivity remain poorly understood. We mapped migration from breeding through winter of one
of the smallest Afro-Palearctic migrants, the willow warbler Phylloscopus trochilus, using geolocators (n = 15).
Results: Birds migrated from North European breeding grounds to West Africa via the Iberian Peninsula following a
narrow corridor along the West Coast of Africa. Birds then dispersed across the northern Savannah with termination
of migration highly variable among individuals. The termination of migration appeared not to be related to timing,
current and previous years’ vegetation conditions or biometrics. During winter, most birds moved southwards to
improved vegetation.
Conclusion: The willow warblers showed a large, unexpected longitudinal spread in winter sites of more than
3000 km between individuals breeding within a 500 m range resulting in a low degree of connectivity. The large
wintering area may well be related to generalist behaviour in the species. Our findings contribute to understanding
the link between breeding and wintering ecology in long-distance migratory birds. | |
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