Dispersal is one of the most important aspects of animal behavior and can have far‐reaching consequences for organismal ecology and evolution. Despite recent theoretical advances in understanding why individuals within the same population vary in dispersal behavior, relatively few studies have empirically evaluated the long‐term causes and consequences of variable dispersal within natural populations. In this study, we used li...

Sexual dimorphism in body size among shorebirds is typically linked to reproductive roles, yet such differences may also lead to ecological differences during the remainder of the annual cycle. Here, we investigate whether the smaller males and larger females of Bohai Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa bohaii differ in habitat use and rhythmic behaviours as they refuel in coastal China during northward migration. Based on visu...

In the current warming climate, many organisms in seasonal environments advance their timing of reproduction to benefit from resource peaks earlier in spring. For migrants, the potential to advance reproduction may be constrained by their migration strategies, notably their ability to advance arrival at the breeding grounds. Recent studies show various changes in migration strategies, including wintering closer to the breeding...

Aim We develop and test a cost framework to simulate the flyways of migratory seabirds, considering various environmental factors such as wind support, crosswind, travel distance, and food availability. Using this framework, we simulate potential migratory flyways for arctic terns and compare these simulations with tracking data. Our aim is to identify which combination of factors best explains the observed flyways. Ultimately...

Habitat loss and shifts associated with climate change threaten global biodiversity, with impacts likely to be most pronounced at high latitudes. With the disappearance of the tundra breeding habitats, migratory shorebirds that breed at these high latitudes are likely to be even more vulnerable to climate change than those in temperate regions. We examined this idea using new distributional information on two subspecies of Bla...

In this paper, we extend our understanding of the migration of Black-tailed Godwits ( Limosa limosa limosa ) by describing: (1) the orientation and geographic locations of individual migratory routes and (2) the spatial distribution of godwits across seasons and years. We accomplish this using satellite-tracking data from 36 adult godwits breeding in the 200-ha Haanmeer polder in The Netherlands, from 2015 to 2018. During both...

Animals must balance various costs and benefits when deciding when to breed. The costs and benefits of breeding at different times have received much attention, but most studies have been limited to investigating short‐term season‐to‐season fitness effects. However, breeding early, versus late, in a season may influence lifetime fitness over many years, trading off in complex ways across the breeder’s lifespan. In this study,...

Long‐distance migratory flights are predicted to be associated with higher mortality rates when individuals encounter adverse weather conditions. However, directly connecting environmental conditions experienced in‐flight with the survival of migrants has proven difficult. We studied how the in‐flight mortality of 53 satellite‐tagged Black‐tailed Godwits ( Limosa limosa limosa ) during 132 crossings of the Sahara Desert, a maj...

In seasonal environments, increasing spring temperatures lead many taxa to advance the timing of reproduction. Species that do not may suffer lower fitness. We investigated why black‐tailed godwits ( Limosa limosa limosa ), a ground‐breeding agricultural grassland shorebird, have not advanced timing of reproduction during the last three decades in the face of climate change and human‐induced habitat degradation. We used data f...