Habitat use, survival, and migration of a little‐known East Asian endemic, the yellow‐throated bunting Emberiza elegans

Abstract Basic information on the ecology of species is key for their conservation. Here we study the ecology of the little‐known yellow‐throated bunting Emberiza elegans based on a multi‐year study on its breeding grounds in the Russian Far East. For the first time in this species, we quantified br...

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Main Authors: Wieland Heim, Aleksey Antonov, Friederike Kunz, Martha Maria Sander, Marc Bastardot, Ilka Beermann, Ramona Julia Heim, Alexander Thomas, Vera Volkova
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-05-01
Series:Ecology and Evolution
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10030
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author Wieland Heim
Aleksey Antonov
Friederike Kunz
Martha Maria Sander
Marc Bastardot
Ilka Beermann
Ramona Julia Heim
Alexander Thomas
Vera Volkova
author_facet Wieland Heim
Aleksey Antonov
Friederike Kunz
Martha Maria Sander
Marc Bastardot
Ilka Beermann
Ramona Julia Heim
Alexander Thomas
Vera Volkova
author_sort Wieland Heim
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Basic information on the ecology of species is key for their conservation. Here we study the ecology of the little‐known yellow‐throated bunting Emberiza elegans based on a multi‐year study on its breeding grounds in the Russian Far East. For the first time in this species, we quantified breeding habitat parameters, calculated sex‐specific apparent survival, and determined individual nonbreeding locations using light‐level geolocation. We found that the habitat around song posts of male yellow‐throated buntings is characterized by tree and shrub layers on richly littered moist ground. Habitat use overlaps with co‐occurring Tristram's Buntings Emberiza tristrami and Black‐faced Buntings E. spodocephala, but territories differ especially in tree cover and litter cover. Based on 4 years of color‐ringing data of 72 individuals, we calculated an apparent survival rate of 36%, with higher survival estimates for male than for female yellow‐throated buntings. We found no effect of carrying a geolocator on survival. We retrieved six geolocators from males. All birds migrated south‐westward during autumn and spent the nonbreeding season at locations in China 700–1700 km away from their breeding sites. At least two individuals spent the boreal winter outside of the known range in northern or central China. Birds left the breeding area between early October and early November and returned between mid‐March and mid‐April. Our data on habitat use, survival rate, and migratory connectivity will help to assess threats to the populations of this enigmatic species, which might include habitat loss due to forest fires on the breeding grounds, and unsustainable harvest for consumption during the nonbreeding season.
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spelling doaj.art-5e377a7d4f16416089511f87c1ffc0f42023-07-20T08:50:55ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582023-05-01135n/an/a10.1002/ece3.10030Habitat use, survival, and migration of a little‐known East Asian endemic, the yellow‐throated bunting Emberiza elegansWieland Heim0Aleksey Antonov1Friederike Kunz2Martha Maria Sander3Marc Bastardot4Ilka Beermann5Ramona Julia Heim6Alexander Thomas7Vera Volkova8Institute of Landscape Ecology University of Münster Münster GermanyKhingansky State Nature Reserve Arkhara RussiaInstitute of Landscape Ecology University of Münster Münster GermanyDepartment of Life Sciences and Systems Biology University of Turin Turin ItalyUniversity of Lausanne Lausanne SwitzerlandInstitute of Landscape Ecology University of Münster Münster GermanyDepartment of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich SwitzerlandIndependent Researcher Leipzig GermanyState budgetary educational institution of additional education of the city of Moscow "Zelenograd Palace of Creativity for Children and Youth" Zelenograd RussiaAbstract Basic information on the ecology of species is key for their conservation. Here we study the ecology of the little‐known yellow‐throated bunting Emberiza elegans based on a multi‐year study on its breeding grounds in the Russian Far East. For the first time in this species, we quantified breeding habitat parameters, calculated sex‐specific apparent survival, and determined individual nonbreeding locations using light‐level geolocation. We found that the habitat around song posts of male yellow‐throated buntings is characterized by tree and shrub layers on richly littered moist ground. Habitat use overlaps with co‐occurring Tristram's Buntings Emberiza tristrami and Black‐faced Buntings E. spodocephala, but territories differ especially in tree cover and litter cover. Based on 4 years of color‐ringing data of 72 individuals, we calculated an apparent survival rate of 36%, with higher survival estimates for male than for female yellow‐throated buntings. We found no effect of carrying a geolocator on survival. We retrieved six geolocators from males. All birds migrated south‐westward during autumn and spent the nonbreeding season at locations in China 700–1700 km away from their breeding sites. At least two individuals spent the boreal winter outside of the known range in northern or central China. Birds left the breeding area between early October and early November and returned between mid‐March and mid‐April. Our data on habitat use, survival rate, and migratory connectivity will help to assess threats to the populations of this enigmatic species, which might include habitat loss due to forest fires on the breeding grounds, and unsustainable harvest for consumption during the nonbreeding season.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10030color‐ringingEast Asian flywayforestfull‐cycle ecologygeolocationmigratory connectivity
spellingShingle Wieland Heim
Aleksey Antonov
Friederike Kunz
Martha Maria Sander
Marc Bastardot
Ilka Beermann
Ramona Julia Heim
Alexander Thomas
Vera Volkova
Habitat use, survival, and migration of a little‐known East Asian endemic, the yellow‐throated bunting Emberiza elegans
Ecology and Evolution
color‐ringing
East Asian flyway
forest
full‐cycle ecology
geolocation
migratory connectivity
title Habitat use, survival, and migration of a little‐known East Asian endemic, the yellow‐throated bunting Emberiza elegans
title_full Habitat use, survival, and migration of a little‐known East Asian endemic, the yellow‐throated bunting Emberiza elegans
title_fullStr Habitat use, survival, and migration of a little‐known East Asian endemic, the yellow‐throated bunting Emberiza elegans
title_full_unstemmed Habitat use, survival, and migration of a little‐known East Asian endemic, the yellow‐throated bunting Emberiza elegans
title_short Habitat use, survival, and migration of a little‐known East Asian endemic, the yellow‐throated bunting Emberiza elegans
title_sort habitat use survival and migration of a little known east asian endemic the yellow throated bunting emberiza elegans
topic color‐ringing
East Asian flyway
forest
full‐cycle ecology
geolocation
migratory connectivity
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10030
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