Animal Migration

What is migration?
Migration:
Seasonal back and
forth journeys between
two sites

Migrant vs. Resident

Which animals migrate?
Mammals
Birds
Amphibians
Reptiles
Fish
Insects
Why do animals migrate?
Opportunism exploitation of
ephemeral/seasonal resources


Cost benefit ratio
Types of Migration
1. Latitudinal
2. Altitudinal
3. Reproductive
4. Seasonal
5. Irruptive



Types of Migration
Obligate annual migration
1. Latitudinal (north-south)
Short distance (within a continent)
Some birds, bats, and whales
Long distance (between continents)
Many species of songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl,
hawks
Some bats and whales
2. Elevational
Movement up and down mountain slopes
Related to weather (especially snow depth) and food
conditions
deer, elk, Mountain Goats, Spotted Owls, some songbirds
How do animals migrate?
Magnetic field
Landmarks
Alignment of
stars in night
sky
Olfactory cues
Combination
How do we know where
animals go?
Direct observation
Ex. Broad-tailed
hawk

Photo by B. Webb
Photo by B. Webb
Can estimate general population trends from number of
migrating individuals counted
How do we know where
animals go?
Capture, mark, recapture

How do we know where
animals go?
Radar, radio & satellite telemetry
Radar detection of neotropical migrant birds
Trans Gulf-migrants leaving
How do we know where
animals go?
Radar, radio & satellite telemetry
Satellite telemetry Radio telemetry
Signal from transmitter
to satellite
Location downloaded
from satellite

Peregrine Falcon
migration routes
based on satellite
transmitter data
Swainsons Hawk
migration routes
based on satellite
transmitter data
How do we know where
animals go?
Intrinsic markers
Stable isotopes
Elements vary in
number of
neutrons C, N,
H, O, S building
blocks
Bird Migration
Over 5 billion land birds
of 187 species migrate
between Europe and Asia
to Africa
Over 5 billion land birds
of over 200 species
migrate between North
America and the New
World tropics
75% of 650 bird species
that nest in N. America
migrate
Neotropical migrant birds
80% of breeding bird spp. in N. America
Complex annual life cycle
breeding areas (2-3 mths)
migratory pathways (2-3 mths)
wintering areas (6-7 mths)
Declines in many spp.
Pattern

Neotropical Migrant Bird Conservation
Many species declining
Loss of multiple habitats:
Breeding
Migration stopover sites
Wintering
3 ranges used by the
Blackpoll Warbler
each year
Neotropical Migrant Bird Conservation
Loss and fragmentation of winter habitat
(tropical forest):
slash and burn agriculture
pasture land for livestock production
commercial and illegal logging
How declines have been measured
Breeding Bird Survey
species-specific studies
population estimates on breeding and
wintering grounds
Western meadowlark Painted bunting Cerulean warbler
Population trends: 1996-2003
Linkages between annual stages
American redstart
link condition on wintering grounds to breeding
success
Stable isotope analyses: ratios of C
13
:C
12

High quality winter habitat (coastal mangroves
and lowland forests): wetter and C
13
depleted
Birds from high quality winter habitat
earlier on breeding grounds
earlier breeding = more
chicks fledged

1.3 million wildebeest
200,000 plains zebra
350,000 Thompsons
gazelles
Mammal migration: Serengenti
Dangers: Serengeti migration
Predation
Land and water

Rinderpest
Human
population
growth
Land conversion
Poaching esp.
resident animals
Sea Turtle Migration
Juveniles hatch on shore and migrate to the
open ocean
After years in the open sea, juvenile turtles
move to specific coastal feeding grounds
Young loggerhead sea turtles in the North
Atlantic cover more than 9,000 miles before
returning to the North American coast!
Adult turtles migrate between specific feeding
areas and then back to nesting beaches
Juvenile Loggerhead Migration
Orientation during migration
A variety of navigational cues are used
Must stay in North Atlantic Gyre for several years to
grow and develop
Detect subtle differences in the earths magnetic
fields to use as navigational markers
Adult Green Turtle Migration
Adult Green Turtles captured by fishermen at feeding
grounds off coast of Nicaragua and branded
Some turtles escaped after boat capsized at FL Keys
Several months later same turtles recaptured in same
area in Nicaragua
Turtles use a magnetic compass and have map sense
Whale Migration
Pacific Gray Whales
Longest known migration for
any mammal: 10,000-12,000
miles annually!
Raise calves in nurseries
(lagoons) of Baja California
Migrate to feed in the cold
arctic seas
Nearshore migration route
allows for easy observation, but
harassment by whale-watching
boats may be pushing whales
off shore
Butterfly Migration
Monarch Butterflies
Fly up to 3,000 miles each
way
Return to the same winter
roosts, often to the exact
same trees
Preferred conditions found
in oyamel fir forests, which
occur in a small area of
mountain tops in central
Mexico
Conservation Strategies
International cooperation (Partners in Flight)
Incentives for developing countries to
protect migratory wildlife and habitat
Public education: consumer choices