The General Pattern of Seasonal Dynamics of The Autumn Migration of The Wood Pigeon Columba Palumbus in Italy

Abstract

Cavina E., Bucchi R. and Busse P. 2018. The general pattern of seasonal dynamics of the autumn migration of the Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus in Italy. Ring 40: 3-18. Given the scarcity of studies on the migration of the Wood Pigeon through Italy, the first systematic observations by a network of hunters, as citizen researchers, can be presented as a starting point for more in-depth analyses. Observations from the years 1998-2006 are analysed and presented in a generalized form. During this period more than 100 observation sites, covering most of Italy, were active for about 40 days every autumn. Migration over Italy was described in terms of the timing and intensity of migration. Special attention was directed to the long-term number dynamics and seasonal dynamics of the passage. The most intensive migration was observed within northern Italy, while lower intensity is visible more to the south of the peninsula. Following tendencies in numbers of observed migrants within the ten years of the study, we can find positive tendencies in most of the northern provinces, while three negative trends are visible in central Italy. The study of the seasonal pattern, in terms of the number dynamics of the passage and the frequency of pronounced peak days, strongly suggests that there are five or six waves of pigeons passing through Italy in different parts of the autumn that are quite stable between years. Every year the time of the passage includes a few peak days of migration.

Autumn Migration of the Wood Pigeon, Columba palumbus, at Eastern Part of the Polish Baltic Coast

“…The additional goal of the paper was to develop the more convincing estimation procedure of description the wave structure of the bird migration. Since introductory publication presenting estimation method of the wave structure of the passage (Busse 1996) some development was proposed -from first in papers by Kopiec-Mokwa (1999) till Cavina et al 2018. In the present paper the wave structure is described by the estimated border days between supposed waves taking under consideration different properties of the passage dynamics.…”

“…Most of information on the migration is collected in localities where the stream of migrants is concentrated by sea coast guiding lines (e.g. at Ottenby, Falsterbo, Sweden - Edelstam 1972, Ulfstrand et al 1974 and mountain passes, as in Apenines and Pyrenees (Cavina 2015, Cavina et al 2018. In Poland some data were collected and partly published within activity of the Operation Baltic on the Baltic coast (Manikowski 1972, Busse andHalastra 1981).…”

Should I stay or should I fly? Migration phenology, individual-based migration decision and seasonal changes in foraging behaviour of Common Woodpigeons

“…Birds breeding in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Southern Germany use the Mediterranean flyway and winter in the West Mediterranean region, including Italy and Southern France, and particularly in Corsica and Sardinia. Individuals from South-Eastern Russia, Eastern Ukraine and birds breeding further east are likely to follow the Black Sea flyway (von Blotzheim and Bauer 1994 ; Bankovics 2001 ; Sruoga et al 2005 ; Boere and Stroud 2006 ; Hobson et al 2009 ; BirdLife International 2010 ; Butkauskas et al 2013 , 2019 ; Cavina et al 2018 ).…”