Black storks - migration

[marika.solo]

https://migraciondeaves.org/en/migration/

- What is migration?
- The phenomenon of migration
- Basic concepts
- Annual bird cycle
- Migration studies
- Arrival of new technologies
Further Information
- Phenology of migration
- Flight strategies
Useful websites

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Black storks - migration paths


PIC https://schwarzstorchberingung.de/attac ... ugwege.jpg (source: https://schwarzstorchberingung.de/page11.php)


source: Janssen, Gerd; Hormann, Martin; Rohde, Carsten: Der Schwarzstorch. Ciconia nigra. Unter Mitarbeit von Alfred Nottorf und Eberhard Mey, mit einem Vorwort von Thomas Krauß. Hohenwarsleben,Westarp Wissenschaften, 2004. 414 S. Ill. (Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei, 468). Fr. 52.30; I 29.95. ISBN 3-89432-219-5., Gesnerus, 62(3-4), 339-340.
pic also here https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... ration.png


source: Tamás, E. A. 2012. Breeding and Migration of the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra), with Special Regard to a Central European Population and the Impact of Hydro-Meteorogical Factors and Wetlands Status. PhD Thesis, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary. 146 pp.
pic. https://dea.lib.unideb.hu/dea/bitstream ... sAllowed=y, p. 79 (91 in the file)

[Madli]

Migration of Black Storks Ciconia nigra at a migratory divide: two different routes used by siblings from one nest and two different routes used by one individual

Black Storks Ciconia nigra breeding in Europe use two main migratory routes to winter in Africa: a western route over Gibraltar and an eastern route through Turkey and Israel. A broad area of migratory divide exists in central Europe. We examined cases from the Czech Republic wherein siblings from one nest used different migration routes. We found 20 such cases associated with 18 nests distributed throughout the entire territory of the Czech Republic. Moreover, one bird hatched in 2007 used the western migration route in 2007 and the eastern one in 2009. The actual geographical position of a juvenile Black Stork from an area of migratory divide in the autumn period of migratory restlessness (after the dispersal period) influences the decision to choose the western or eastern direction of migration. We also propose that Black Storks that are older than one year and therefore with experience of past migrations could decide their direction of autumn migration and be followed by inexperienced juvenile Black Storks. Siblings originating from an area of migratory divide can commonly use both main migration routes.

Literák, I., Kafka, P., Vrána, J., & Pojer, F. (2017). Migration of Black Storks Ciconia nigra at a migratory divide: two different routes used by siblings from one nest and two different routes used by one individual. Ringing & Migration, 32(1), 19–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2017.1332260

[marika.solo]

Migration of juvenile Black Storks: stay with the family or go alone?

Abstract:
For many migratory species, social interactions on migration are poorly known, particularly the extent to which brood siblings remain together, at least during their first post-fledging migration. This study tested the assumption that Black Stork siblings stay together during migration and is the first time that juveniles from the same brood of a Palearctic sub-Saharan migratory stork species have been tracked on migration. Four juveniles from the same brood were followed by satellite tracking, and each dispersed or migrated in a completely different direction to its siblings. The results thus refute the idea that Black Stork siblings remain together on their first migration, but to confirm these new findings, it is important to repeat the study using additional nests.

Larue, M., Boos, M., Brossard, C., Baillon, F., Boutteaux, J.-J., Bernard, J., Brossault, P., Petit, O., & Chevallier, D. (2016). Migration of juvenile Black Storks: stay with the family or go alone? Ringing & Migration, 31(1), 74–76. doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2016.1190616

[marika.solo]

2020

WHITE STORKS (!)

Causes and consequences of facultative sea crossing in a soaring migrant.

1. Studying the causes and consequences of route selection in animal migration is important for understanding the evolution of migratory systems and how they may be affected by environmental factors at various spatial and temporal scales. One key decision during migration is whether to cross 'high transport cost' areas or to circumvent them. Soaring birds may face this choice when encountering water-bodies where convective updrafts are weak or scarce. Crossing these water-bodies requires flying using energetically costly flapping flight, while circumventing them over land permits energetically cheap soaring.
2. We tested how several atmospheric factors (e.g. wind, thermal uplift) and geographic , seasonal and state-related factors (sex and age) affected route selection in migrating white storks Ciconia ciconia. We used 196 GPS tracks of 70 individuals either crossing or circumventing the north-easternmost section of the Mediterranean Sea, over Iskenderun Bay in southern Turkey.
3. We found that westward and southward winds promoted a cross-bay journey in spring and autumn, respectively, acting as tailwinds. Also, overall weaker winds promoted a sea crossing in spring. Sea crossing was associated with flapping flight and higher values of overall dynamic body acceleration and resulted in higher ground speed than travel over land.
4. The combined environmental conditions and the effects of route selection on movement-related energy costs and speed were likely responsible for an increase in the time spent flying and distance travelled of migrating storks that decided to cross the bay during spring. Notably, daily travel distances of spring migrants crossing the bay were 60 km longer than those of land-detouring birds, allowing them to reach their destination faster but likely incurring a higher energetic flight cost. No such benefit was found during autumn.

Paolo Becciu, Rotics, S., Horvitz, N., Kaatz, M., Fiedler, W., Zurell, D., Flack, A., Florian Jeltsch, Wikelski, M., Nathan, R., & Sapir, N. (2020). Causes and consequences of facultative sea crossing in a soaring migrant. Functional Ecology, 34(4), 840–852. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13539

Traditional Fish Pond Management Provides Reliable Foraging Opportunities for Migrating Black Storks in Romania

ABSTRACT
Migrant water birds such as Black Storks Ciconia nigra have progressively started capitalizing on man-managed ecosystems during migration. Behavioural and ecological studies at stopovers are thus key to deliver comprehensive conservation policies. To be able to improve stopover potential for one of the main Black Stork fall passage sites in central Romania, the Dumbrăviţa fishing complex, we analysed the species' foraging behaviour in relation to management of water levels and human activities. Afternoon feeding sessions were recorded weekly during two consecutive autumn migration periods in August–September 2017 and 2018. We used focal and scan sampling methods to quantify behavioural patterns based on 168, 10-minute feeding bouts between 16:00 and 18:00. The selection of foraging areas was contingent upon drainage practices and biased towards vegetated sectors of ponds. The time at which the storks started foraging was strongly correlated with the cessation of the daily fish harvest. Hunting strategies involved grabbing (visual) and water probing (tactolocation), the first prevailing in terms of frequency and time allotment and the latter mainly being used in shallow, muddy areas. Until now, traditional fish farming has unintentionally catered to Black Stork feeding preferences. We put forward several long-term management suggestions to secure the stopover potential for Black Storks at Dumbrăviţa.

Mihaela Ciobotă, Dumitru Murariu, and Andreea Ciobotă "Traditional Fish Pond Management Provides Reliable Foraging Opportunities for Migrating Black Storks in Romania," Ardea 108(2), 191-201, (14 December 2020). https://doi.org/10.5253/arde.v108i2.a10

[marika.solo]

Jadoul G, Hourlay F, Toussaint A-C (2003) Suivi de la migration automnale de la Cigogne noire (Ciconia nigra) par télémétrie satellitaire. Aves 40:155–164

Bobek, M., Pojer, F., Peške, L. and Šimek, J. (2003) Wintering of black storks (Ciconia nigra) from the Czech Republic in different parts
of Africa. Aves, 40: 176-178.

Bobek, M., Pojer, F., Peške, L. and Šimek, J. (2003). African Odyssey Project. Research on the black stork migration and ecology and its
presentation on the Internet. Aves, 40: 212-221.

Bobek M, Hampl R, Peške L, Pojer F, Šimek J, Bureš S (2008) African Odyssey project - satellite tracking of black storks Ciconia nigra breeding at a migratory divide. J Avian Biol 39:500–506. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0908-8857.2008.04285.x

Chevallier HY, Georges J-Y, Baillon F, Brossault P, Aurouet A, Le Maho Y, Massemin S (2010) Influence of weather conditions on the flight of migrating black storks. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 277:2755–2764. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.0422

Chevallier HY, Le Maho Y, Baillon F, Duponnois R, Dieulin C, Brossault P, De Franclieu P, Lorge P, Aurouet A, Massemin S (2010) Human activity and the drying up of rivers determine abundance and spatial distribution of Black Storks Ciconia nigra on their wintering grounds. Bird Study 57:369–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063651003678467

Chevallier HY, Le Maho Y, Brossault P, Baillon F, Massemin S (2011) The use of stopover sites by Black Storks (Ciconia nigra) migrating between West Europe and West Africa as revealed by satellite telemetry. J Ornithol 152:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-010-0536-6

Cano LS, Tellería JL (2013) Migration and winter distribution of Iberian and central European black storks Ciconia nigra moving to Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar: a comparative study. J Avian Biol 44:189–197. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-048X.2012.05824.x

Chevallier, D., Baillon, F., Le Maho, Y., Blanc, S., Brossault, P., & Massemin, S. (2013). Importance of the connectivity of Spanish stopovers for Black Storks. Bird Study, 60(4), 550–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2013.851643

WHITE STORK

Shephard, J.M., Rycken, S., Almalik, O. et al. Migration strategies revealed by satellite tracking among descendants of a population of European white stork (Ciconia ciconia) reintroduced to Belgium. J Ornithol 156, 943–953 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-015-1204-7

Andrea Flack et al., Costs of migratory decisions: A comparison across eight white stork populations.Sci. Adv.2,e1500931(2016). DOI:10.1126/sciadv.15009

Blas, J., Salas, R., Flack, A., Torres-Medina, F., Sergio, F., Wikelski, M., & Fiedler, W. (2020). Overland and oversea migration of white storks through the water barriers of the straits of Gibraltar. Scientific reports, 10(1), 20760. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77273-x

[marika.solo]

2024

INFLUENCE OF AGE ON SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL MIGRATORY PATTERNS OF BLACK STORKS FROM GERMANY.

Abstract
How the migration behavior of long-lived birds develops throughout their life is still a research question in ornithology that is largely unanswered. Here, we analyzed GPS data of 70 juvenile Black Storks during the first 3 years of their migration to determine the influence of age and experience on migration patterns. We focused on the choice of the migration flyway, as well as the movements in the wintering area, and the changes in departure times with increasing age.

Migratory routes of German Black Storks were divided into the western (82% of all tracked individuals) and eastern flyways (16%). The central migratory flyway through Italy or Greece was taken only by two individuals and never repeatedly. In addition, we found that the wintering area decreased by almost 60% during their first 3 years of life. In addition, spring departure dates from the wintering areas also became earlier with increasing age.

However, we did not find changes in departures from the breeding area in autumn. Thus, our study shows that age and migration experiences have a considerable influence on essential migratory decisions in Black Storks. Further, it also demonstrates that older storks rely strongly on previous experiences to perform their migrations efficiently.

Fisel, Felix & Heine, Georg & Rohde, Carsten & Wikelski, Martin & Flack, Andrea. (2024). Influence of age on spatial and temporal migratory patterns of Black Storks from Germany. Journal of Ornithology. 165. 10.1007/s10336-024-02170-3.

[marika.solo]

2023

WHITE STORKs (!)

The price of being late: short- and long-term consequences of a delayed migration timing.

Abstract
Choosing the right migration timing is critical for migrants because conditions encountered en route influence movement costs, survival, and, in social migrants, the availability of social information. Depending on lifetime stages, individuals may migrate at different times due to diverging constraints, affecting the composition of migration groups. To examine the consequences of a delayed migration timing, we artificially delayed the migration of juvenile white storks (Ciconia ciconia) and thereby altered their physical and social environment. Using nearly continuous 1 Hz GPS trajectories, we examined their migration behaviour, ranging from sub-second level performance to global long-distance movement, in relation to two control groups. We found that delayed storks experienced suboptimal soaring conditions, but better wind support and thereby achieved higher flight speeds than control storks. Delayed storks had a lower mortality rate than the control storks and wintered closer to the breeding area. In fact, none of the delayed storks reached the traditional African wintering areas. Thus, our results show that juvenile storks can survive migrating at the ‘wrong’ time. However, this had long-term consequences on migration decisions. We suggest that, when timing their migration, storks balance not just energy and time, but also the availability of social information.

Bontekoe, I. D., Hilgartner, R., Fiedler, W., & Flack, A. (2023). The price of being late: short- and long-term consequences of a delayed migration timing. Proceedings. Biological sciences, 290(2003), 20231268. http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1268

[marika.solo]

2024

WHITE STORKs (!)

Learning shapes the development of migratory behavior.

ABSTRACT
How animals refine migratory behaviour over their lifetime (i.e., the ontogeny of migration) is an enduring question with important implications for predicting the adaptive capacity of migrants in a changing world. Yet, our inability to monitor the movements of individuals from early life onward has limited our understanding of the ontogeny of migration. The exploration–refinement hypothesis posits that learning shapes the ontogeny of migration in long-lived species, resulting in greater exploratory behaviour early in life followed by more rapid and direct movement during later life. We test the exploration–refinement hypothesis by examining how white storks (Ciconia ciconia) balance energy, time, and information as they develop and refine migratory behaviour during the first years of life. Here, we show that young birds reduce energy expenditure during flight while also increasing information gain by exploring new places during migration. As the birds age and gain more experience, older individuals stop exploring new places and instead move more quickly and directly, resulting in greater energy expenditure during migratory flight. During spring migration, individuals innovated novel shortcuts during the transition from early life into adulthood, suggesting a reliance on spatial memory acquired through learning. These incremental refinements in migratory behaviour provide support for the importance of individual learning within a lifetime in the ontogeny of long-distance migration.

Aikens, Ellen & Nourani, Elham & Fiedler, Wolfgang & Wikelski, Martin & Flack, Andrea. (2024). Learning shapes the development of migratory behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 121. e2306389121. 10.1073/pnas.2306389121.

[marika.solo]

2024

SIX YEARS OF SATELLITE MONITORING OF THE PRE- AND POST-NUPTIAL MIGRATIONS OF A BLACK STORK CICONIA NIGRA.
(btw. prenuptial migration is the journey birds make from their non-breeding wintering grounds to their breeding grounds in the spring.)

ABSTRACT
Six years of satellite monitoring of the pre- and postnuptial migrations of a Black Stork Ciconia nigra. The six years of satellite monitoring of the Black Stork Anthéa provided unprecedented data on the migration trajectories of the same individual. This preliminary study highlighted differences in spring and autumn migratory trajectories in Africa and Europe. The results show that the total migration duration does not differ significantly between seasons, but prenuptial migration is longer and slower than postnuptial migration. The average daily speed in postnuptial migration is higher, probably due to the influence of the prevailing winds. Latitude influences speed, with a decrease north of 30°N, linked to more powerful thermal updrafts in Africa. The distances traveled in Africa present distinctive characteristics linked to the scarcity of resources, influencing the daily speed. Migratory stopovers are more frequent and last longer during prenuptial migration, probably to meet increased energetic needs. Anthéa showed, during these 6 years of monitoring, fidelity to wintering and breeding sites, although routes and stopovers vary between spring and autumn migrations due to meteorological factors and competition for resources in Africa. This study highlights the crucial importance of continuing research on the Black Stork to better understand its ecological needs. The information collected can guide habitat management, identify essential migratory corridors and encourage international cooperation to protect this endangered species. This knowledge is essential to ensure the long-term survival of the Black Stork and preserve the richness of our natural heritage.

HACEN, Mohamed & Brossault, Paul & MOHAMED, Ould & Abidine, Mohamed Mahmoud & Yebouk, Cheikh & ABIDINE, Ould & QNINBA, Abdeljabbar & FEKHAOUI, Mohamed & Damien, Chevallier. (2024). Six years of satellite monitoring of the pre- and post-nuptial migrations of a Black Stork Ciconia nigra. Alauda. 92. 53-62.


Fig. 3 Prenuptial migrations of the Black Stork Anthea from 2016 to 2021. (Marika: prenuptial migration, when birds move from wintering to breeding areas - spring migration to nesting sites)
Fig 4 Postnuptial migrations of the Black Stork Anthea from 2015 to 2020. (postnuptial - autumn migration, after nesting)

[marika.solo]

A Pfeilstorch is a white stork that is injured by an arrow or spear while wintering in Africa and returns to Europe with the projectile stuck in its body. The Pfeilstorch was the first concrete evidence for migration, the annual, large-scale movement of birds between their breeding and non-breeding territories. ... Btw. there have been more than 24 subsequent recorded Pfeilstorchs—birds that have successfully migrated to Europe with an African spear embedded in their flesh.

What This Gruesome Stork Taught Us About Bird Migration
https://www.audubon.org/news/what-grues ... -migration

Die wahre Geschichte vom Pfeilstorch
https://www.spektrum.de/news/vogelzug-d ... ch/2019937