DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.16940653
title: GPS telemetry data (hourly relocations) of seven species of dabbling ducks captured in SE, NL, LT, BD, MN, PT

description: Content

This data set contains tracking data collected using GPS-transmitters deployed on several species of dabbling ducks, including mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope, listed as Anas penelope in the dataset), Northern pintail (Anas acuta), Eurasian teal (Anas crecca), garganey (Spatula querquedula, listed as Anas querquedula in the dataset), gadwall (Mareca strepera, listed as Anas strepera in the dataset), and Northern shoveler (Spatula clypeata, listed as Anas clypeata in the dataset, n=8).

The tracking data are comprised of geo-referenced (using GPS) locations of individuals marked with a GPS/GSM-transmitter (OrniTrack-transmitters of different models, purchased from Ornitela UAB, Vilnius, Lithuania) stored in .csv-files. The models we used throughout were OT-10 (~10g, deployed on small ducks<500g), OT-15 (~15g, on medium-sized ducks > 500g), and OT-25E (~25g, with elevated solar panel, on mallards and some male pintails). The larger two models (OT-15, OT-25E) were programmed to collect GPS-fixes every hour when battery levels were 75% and above, whereas the smallest sampling interval for the smaller OT-10s was set to two hours. 

The following information are contained in each file:





study.name: Name of the study for which the individual was captured and tracked. This corresponds to the name of the study on movebank.org.




study.ID: Unique identifier of the study on movebank.org.




individual.id: unique numeric identifier for the individual.




individual.taxon.canonical.name: taxon of the individual for which the observation was made, as defined by the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).




timestamp: The date and time corresponding to a sensor measurement (here: GPS fix). The format for the timestamp is yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss, and the time zone is UTC.




location.long: Longitude in decimal degrees, WGS84 reference system




location.lat: Latitude decimal degrees, WGS84 reference system




gps.hdop: Horizontal dilution of precision provided by the GPS. This measurement is unitless.




ground.speed: Estimated ground speed as provided by the GPS sensor. Unit is meters per second (m/s).



Study details

Dabbling duck migration Ottenby 2017 (Anas platyrhynchos, Anas acuta)

We captured mallards, and some Northern pintails, during their autumn migration in a large swim-in trap (baited, with lure ducks in a separate compartment) at the Ottenby Bird Observatory at the southern tip of the island of Öland, SE, in the Baltic Sea.  Details about the study can be found in:



van Toor, M. L., Avril, A., Wu, G., Holan, S. H., & Waldenström, J. (2018). As the duck flies—estimating the dispersal of low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses by migrating mallards. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 6, 208. (https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2018.00208)


This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 727922 (Delta-Flu).

Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope) Netherlands Lithuania 2018-2019

Eurasian wigeons were captured during the winter (in a polder landscape north of Amsterdam, NL) and during spring migration (in a flooded meadow near the Nemunas delta, LT) using cannon nets. Details about the study can be found in:



van Toor, M. L., Kharitonov, S., Švažas, S., Dagys, M., Kleyheeg, E., Müskens, G., & Waldenström, J. (2021). Migration distance affects how closely Eurasian wigeons follow spring phenology during migration. Movement Ecology, 9(1), 61. (https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-021-00296-0)


This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 727922 (Delta-Flu).

Dabbling duck migration Portugal 2018--2022

In Portugal, dabbling ducks belonging to several species were caught during the wintering period using cannon nets. The main capture location was in the Tagos river estuary south of Lisbon, with fewer birds captured in the São Jacinto Dunes Natural Reserve near Aveiro, PT.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 727922 (Delta-Flu).

Dabbling duck migration Bangladesh 2019-2022

Dabbling ducks (garganey Spatula querquedula, Northern shoveler S. clypeata, Eurasian wigeon Mareca penelope, gadwall M. strepera, Northern pintail Anas acuta, and Eurasian teal A. crecca) were captured in several wetlands (Baikka Beel, Tanguar Haor) and along the Padma river throughout the wintering season.

Birds were captured in the wetlands using mistnets, and upon capture were transported to the field camp in soft cloth bags. Birds were identified to species, sex and age, and subsequently marked with a uniquely numbered steel ring.

Individuals were weighed to the nearest 10g, and measurements for tarsus length, wing length, and bill-head length were taken.

Healthy birds were selected for deployment with OrniTrack GPS/GSM tags (Ornitela UAB, Vilnius, Lithuania) of different models, chosen such that tags was well below 5% of body mass.

Garganey, Eurasian teal, and Northern shoveler were equipped with the 10g model (OT-10-3G, mean: 3% of body mass), whereas the other species were equipped with a 15g model (OT-15, mean: 2% of body mass).

The tags were programmed to record GPS locations every hour (OT-15) or every two hours (OT-10-3G).

More details can be found in the following manuscript once it has been published:



Mariëlle L. van Toor, A B M Sarowar Alam, Kazi Zenifar Azmiri, Sakib Ahmed, Md. Mohsin Kabir, Erik Kleyheeg, Ulf Ottosson, and Jonas Waldenström. Habitat configuration and daily variation in resource selection determine how migratory ducks use subtropical wetlands during winter. (in review)


This study was supported by the Swedish Research Council through a project grant awarded to J.W. and M.T. (registration number 2018-03841).

Dabbling duck migration Mongolia (2020)

Dabbling ducks were caught in several locations in the northern half of the country, including Chovd in the west, near Targan lake in the north, and in the vicinity of Khurkh Bird Ringing Station in Khentii province. Most of the birds in this study were captured in late summer/early autumn, though some individuals were captured during spring as well. 

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 727922 (Delta-Flu).