Aim: Migratory animals regularly move between often distant breeding and non-breeding ranges. Knowledge about how these ranges are linked by movements of individuals from different populations is crucial for unravelling temporal variability in population spatial structuring and for identifying environmental drivers of population dynamics acting at different spatio-temporal scales. We performed a large-scale individual-based migration tracking study of the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni), an Afro-Palearctic migratory raptor, to determine the patterns of migratory connectivity of European breeding populations. Location: Europe, Africa. Methods: Migration data were recorded using different devices (geolocators, Argos PTTs, GPS loggers) from 87 individuals breeding in the three core European populations, located in the Iberian, Italian and Balkan peninsulas. We estimated connectivity by the Mantel correlation coefficient (rM), and computed both the degree of separation between the non-breeding areas of individuals from the same population (i.e. the population spread) and the relative size of the non-breeding range (i.e. the non-breeding range spread). Results: European lesser kestrels migrated on a broad-front across the Mediterranean Sea and Sahara Desert, with different populations using different routes. Iberian birds migrated to western Sahel (Senegal, Mauritania, western Mali), Balkan birds migrated chiefly to central-eastern Sahel (Niger, Nigeria, Chad), whereas Italian ones spread from eastern Mali to Nigeria. Spatial differentiation of non-breeding areas led to a strong migratory connectivity (rM = 0.58), associated with a relatively high population (637 km) and non-breeding range (1149 km) spread. Main conclusions: Our comprehensive analysis of the non-breeding distribution of European lesser kestrel populations revealed a strong migratory connectivity, a rare occurrence in long-distance avian migrants. The geographic conformation of the species' breeding and non-breeding ranges, together with broad-front migration across ecological barriers, promoted the differentiation of migratory routes and non-breeding areas. Strong connectivity could then arise because of both high population spread and broad non-breeding range.

We examined ringing recovery data of the Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni in order to analyse its migration patterns and philopatry rates in Eastern Europe. In addition, we extracted counts of migrating birds from online databases and studied the use of the flyway as well as the phenology of both spring and autumn migrations through Greece. Birds appeared to migrate in the same mean direction in spring and autumn through the Italian and Balkan Peninsulas. During spring, movements took place on a broad front from March until mid- May with a peak in mid-April; in autumn, birds migrated through Greece on a narrower front from early August to early October, with most of individuals passing through Greece in mid-September. Finally, philopatry rates were higher for adults, while juvenile birds dispersed more often and at longer distances, up to 974 km away. Our results on migration patterns generally agree with those in other studies, but we found some evidence of long-distance premigratory movements towards mainland Greece that could also shape the narrower front migration in autumn. In addition, long distance dispersal movements of juveniles in southeastern Europe, where Lesser Kestrel populations show a fragmented distribution, could facilitate gene flow between populations, thus avoiding the negative effects of mating with genetically similar individuals.

No abstract

This study provides the first systematic survey of spring and autumn migration of adult European Honey Buzzards (Pernis apivorus) along the Central-Eastern Mediterranean flyway. Observations were done in 2007 and 2008 over the island of Antikythira (southern Greece), located 33 km NW of Crete. A total of 135 birds were counted during spring, 101 in 2007 and 34 in 2008. During post-reproductive movements, the passage of 2479 individuals was reported, 1131 in 2007 and 1348 in 2008.During both years an evident peak during the last ten-days of August occurred. These results clearly show differential spring and autumn migration of adult European Honey Buzzards through this region. Historical data concerning prevailing winds were used to reconstruct general wind patterns in the Central-Eastern Mediterranean region. It showed north-northwesterly winds between southern Greece and Libya during both spring and autumn, but very weak (<10 km/h) during the first period. We discuss two hypotheses to explain why the spring visible migration was so scarce: 1) a narrow migratory loop, with the European Honey Buzzards using a direct path between Libya and Peloponnesus during spring, bypassing Antikythira, and 2) a loop migration on a greater scale, involving a detour via the Bosphorus/Dardanelles' Strait and/or the Central Mediterranean, that would allow the European Honey Buzzards to minimise the water crossing but increasing the overall migration distance. In the light of previous studies on this species, the first hypothesis seems to be much more reliable than the second one.

In this study, we examined the spring migration phenology and arrival body mass and fat score of two longdistance migrants, the Eastern Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus orientalis and the Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata at a small Greek island. Our data indicate a regular and early spring passage of both species through the area, with the Semi-collared Flycatcher peaking in late March and early April and the Eastern Bonelli's Warbler about a week later. The arrival body masses of both species were lower than any other mean value of body mass previously reported. This, along with the low fat loads of both species, indicates that the birds' reserves are depleted after crossing the Mediterranean Sea and suggests that they had probably not refuelled after the desert crossing.