Sexing of Black-tailed Godwits<i>Limosa limosa islandica</i>: a comparison of behavioural, molecular, biometric and field-based techniques

Gunnarsson, Tómas G.; Gill, Jennifer A.; Goodacre, Sara L.; Gélinaud, Guillaume; Atkinson, Philip W.; Hewitt, Godfrey M.; Potts, Peter M.; Sutherland, William J.

doi:10.1080/00063650609461433

Cited by 26 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…(a) Phenotypic variation among black-tailed godwits Measurements of bill length (exposed culmen, millimetre) and wing length (maximum chord, millimetre) were obtained for 57 female and 56 male individual godwits captured during the breeding season, on migration or on the wintering grounds [20,21], and for which breeding location was known. In addition, as bill and wing length are only weakly positively correlated (females: r ¼ 0.089, p ¼ 0.51, n ¼ 57; males: r ¼ 0.198, p ¼ 0.14, n ¼ 56), we calculated the ratio of bill length to wing length as an estimate of proportional wing length; lower values of this index indicate smaller individuals with relatively long wings.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Feather samples allowed these chicks to be sexed by DNA analysis [21]. Subsequent sightings of some of these individuals recruiting to the breeding population allowed comparison of the average natal dispersal distances of male and female godwits.…”

Section: (D) Sex Ratio Variation Among Breeding Locations and Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On capture, all birds were individually colour-ringed, their plumage characteristics and biometrics were recorded for sexing, and feathers were sampled for DNA analysis (details in [21]). The vast majority (greater than 95%) of individuals were sexed using plumage characteristics and display and copulation behaviour (most birds were in pairs), and DNA analysis confirmed sexing by these techniques in all cases.…”

Section: (D) Sex Ratio Variation Among Breeding Locations and Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rapid changes in phenotype distribution during range expansion in a migratory bird

et al. 2011

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The capacity of species to track changing environmental conditions is a key component of population and range changes in response to environmental change. High levels of local adaptation may constrain expansion into new locations, while the relative fitness of dispersing individuals will influence subsequent population growth. However, opportunities to explore such processes are rare, particularly at scales relevant to species-based conservation strategies. Icelandic black-tailed godwits, Limosa limosa islandica, have expanded their range throughout Iceland over the last century. We show that current male morphology varies strongly in relation to the timing of colonization across Iceland, with small males being absent from recently occupied areas. Smaller males are also proportionately more abundant on habitats and sites with higher breeding success and relative abundance of females. This population-wide spatial structuring of male morphology is most likely to result from female preferences for small males and better-quality habitats increasing both small-male fitness and the dispersal probability of larger males into poorer-quality habitats. Such eco-evolutionary feedbacks may be a key driver of rates of population growth and range expansion and contraction.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (D) Sex Ratio Variation Among Breeding Locations and Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (D) Sex Ratio Variation Among Breeding Locations and Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rapid changes in phenotype distribution during range expansion in a migratory bird

et al. 2011

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“…15–18% heavier [31], 6% longer winged and having bills ca. 16% longer than males [29]. European populations of black-tailed godwits breed mainly in the Netherlands ( L.l.limosa ) and Iceland ( L.l.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex Promotes Spatial and Dietary Segregation in a Migratory Shorebird during the Non-Breeding Season

et al. 2012

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Several expressions of sexual segregation have been described in animals, especially in those exhibiting conspicuous dimorphism. Outside the breeding season, segregation has been mostly attributed to size or age-mediated dominance or to trophic niche divergence. Regardless of the recognized implications for population dynamics, the ecological causes and consequences of sexual segregation are still poorly understood. We investigate the foraging habits of a shorebird showing reversed sexual dimorphism, the black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa, during the winter season, and found extensive segregation between sexes in spatial distribution, microhabitat use and dietary composition. Males and females exhibited high site-fidelity but differed in their distributions at estuary-scale. Male godwits (shorter-billed) foraged more frequently in exposed mudflats than in patches with higher water levels, and consumed more bivalves and gastropods and fewer polychaetes than females. Females tended to be more frequently involved and to win more aggressive interactions than males. However, the number of aggressions recorded was low, suggesting that sexual dominance plays a lesser role in segregation, although its importance cannot be ruled out. Dimorphism in the feeding apparatus has been used to explain sex differences in foraging ecology and behaviour of many avian species, but few studies confirmed that morphologic characteristics drive individual differences within each sex. We found a relationship between resource use and bill size when pooling data from males and females. However, this relationship did not hold for either sex separately, suggesting that differences in foraging habits of godwits are primarily a function of sex, rather than bill size. Hence, the exact mechanisms through which this segregation operates are still unknown. The recorded differences in spatial distribution and resource use might expose male and female to distinct threats, thus affecting population dynamics through differential mortality. Therefore, population models and effective conservation strategies should increasingly take sex-specific requirements into consideration.

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“…We then use recent intensive survey information to describe the spatial and temporal overlap and the patterns of habitat use of the two subspecies. As the subspecies are almost impossible to identify accurately in winter plumage (Gunnarson, Gill, Goodacre et al 2006, Kuiper et al . 2006, we capitalize on the recent development of extensive colour-ringing programmes on the breeding grounds for each population to assess their degree of habitat segregation throughout the winter.…”

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Population overlap and habitat segregation in wintering Black‐tailed GodwitsLimosa limosa

et al. 2010

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Sexing of Black-tailed GodwitsLimosa limosa islandica: a comparison of behavioural, molecular, biometric and field-based techniques

Cited by 26 publications

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Rapid changes in phenotype distribution during range expansion in a migratory bird

Rapid changes in phenotype distribution during range expansion in a migratory bird

Sex Promotes Spatial and Dietary Segregation in a Migratory Shorebird during the Non-Breeding Season

Population overlap and habitat segregation in wintering Black‐tailed GodwitsLimosa limosa

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