Montagu's Harrier Annual Flight Distances from GPS Tracking

GPS tracks from 29 Montagu's harriers show annual flight distances between 35,653 and 88,049 km, with an average of only 28.5% occurring during migration. The data reveals mean daily distances of 296 km in autumn and 252 km in spring migration, with significant differences between male and female daily movements during the breeding season.

Use Cases

• Analyze the proportion of total annual flight distance attributed to migration versus breeding or wintering phases.
• Compare mean daily flight distances between sexes during the breeding season, where males averaged 217 km d−1 and females 101 km d−1.
• Model seasonal energy expenditure by correlating daily distances from migration, breeding, and winter periods.
• Investigate individual variation in total annual flight distance, which ranged from 35,653 to 88,049 km yr−1 across the tracked birds.

Strengths

• Data includes precise GPS tracking for 29 individual birds.
• Provides quantified annual flight distances ranging from 35,653 to 88,049 km.
• Breaks down activity into specific behavioral phases: migration, breeding, and wintering.
• Contains sex-specific daily distance metrics for comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to 29 individuals, which may not capture full population variability.
• Geographic coverage is restricted to breeding areas in France, The Netherlands, and Denmark, limiting generalizability to other populations.
• Data is from a single study period without longitudinal multi-year tracking for the same individuals.

Provenance

Source

Almut E. Schlaich via Dryad.

Collection Method

GPS tracking of individual birds.

Time Range

Circannual (full year cycle).

Freshness

Data last updated in 2020.

Geography

Breeding areas in France, The Netherlands, and Denmark; migration and wintering routes not specified.