No Habitat Selection during Spring Migration at a Meso-Scale Range across Mosaic Landscapes: A Case Study with the Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)

PLoS One. 2016 Mar 22;11(3):e0149790. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149790. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Success of migration in birds in part depends on habitat selection. Overall, it is still poorly known whether there is habitat selection amongst landbird migrants moving across landscapes. Europe is chiefly covered by agro-forestry mosaic landscapes, so migratory species associated to either agricultural landscapes or woodland habitats should theoretically find suitable stopover sites along migration. During migration from wintering to breeding quarters, woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola) tagged with PTT satellite-tracking transmitters were used to test for the hypothesis that migrants associated to agro-forest habitats have no habitat selection during migration, at a meso-scale level. Using a GIS platform we extracted at a meso-scale range habitat cover at stopover localities. Results obtained from comparisons of soil covers between points randomly selected and true stopover localities sites revealed, as expected, the species may not select for particular habitats at a meso-scale range, because the habitat (or habitats) required by the species can be found virtually everywhere on their migration route. However, those birds stopping over in places richer in cropland or mosaic habitats including both cropland and forest and with proportionally less closed forest stayed for longer than in areas with lower surfaces of cropland and mosaic and more closed forest. This suggests that areas rich in cropland or mosaic habitat were optimal.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture / methods
  • Animal Migration / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Birds / physiology*
  • Breeding / methods
  • Charadriiformes / physiology*
  • Ecosystem
  • Europe
  • Forests
  • Seasons
  • Soil

Substances

  • Soil

Grants and funding

This work was funded by: Regional Councils or Governments of Gipuzkoa, Cataluña, Baleares, Bizkaia and Navarra; FEDENCA, IREC (CSIC-University of Castilla-La Mancha), Microwave Telemetry Inc., Urdaibai Bird Center-Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi, Club de Cazadores de Becada (CCB), CAM. Funders had no role in the design of this work, data collection, data analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of this manuscript.