cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.5441/001/1.293
title: Data from: Influence of visual perception on movement decisions by an ungulate prey species

description: Visual perception is dynamic and depends on physiological properties of a species’ visual system and physical characteristics of the environment. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are most sensitive to short- and mid-wavelength light (e.g. blue and green). Wavelength enrichment varies spatially and temporally across the landscape. We assessed how the visual perception of deer influences their movement decisions. From August to September 2019, we recorded 10-min locations from 15 GPS-collared adult male deer in Central Florida. We used Hidden-Markov models to identify periods of movement by deer and subset these data into three time periods based on temporal changes in light environments. We modeled resource selection during movement using path-selection functions and simulated 10 available paths for every path used. We developed five a priori models and used 10-fold cross validation to assess our top model's performance for each time period. During the day, deer selected to move through woodland shade, avoided forest shade, and neither selected nor avoided small gaps. At twilight, deer avoided wetlands as cloud cover increased but neither selected nor avoided other cover types. Visual cues and signals are likely more conspicuous to deer in short-wavelength-enriched woodland shade during the day, while at twilight in long-wavelength-enriched wetlands during cloud cover, visual cues are likely less conspicuous. The nocturnal light environment did not influence resource selection and likely has little effect on deer movements because it's relatively homogenous. Our findings suggest visual perception relative to light environments is likely an underappreciated driver of behaviors and decision-making by an ungulate prey species.
DOI: 10.5441/001/1.5km7v2s3
title: Data from: Study "Northern Gannet Breeding Season GPS Data from Cape St. Mary's, NL, Canada: 2019 to 2022"

description: Seabirds are constrained by central-place foraging during breeding, when the energy obtained from prey must outweigh the costs of travel, search, capture and transport. The distribution and phenology of the cold-blooded marine fishes they exploit are heavily influenced by oceanic climate. Northern gannets, the largest breeding seabird in the North Atlantic, use a generalist foraging strategy, preying on a wide array of pelagic fishes. They employ different for- aging tactics for different prey types, with rapid, shallow V-shaped dives used for large, powerful prey such as mackerel, and U-shaped dives for smaller forage fishes like capelin. Here we assess intra- and inter-annual differences in foraging effort and influences of prey availability at the southernmost colony of the species at Cape St. Mary’s, Newfoundland, Canada. We compared for- aging trip characteristics (total and maximum distance, directness, duration and number of dives) of parental gannets during the breeding seasons of 2019 (n = 10) and 2020 (n = 7) using GPS/time- depth recorders. Individual gannets shifted away from using U-shaped dives in early chick- rearing to primarily V-shaped dives in late chick-rearing. Shifts were abrupt and occurred in mid-August in 2019 and 2020. Maximum and total foraging trip distance and duration were sig- nificantly greater during early chick-rearing in 2020 than in 2019. Kernel density 50% utilization distributions were larger and expanded further from the colony during early chick-rearing in 2020 (7297 ± 1419 km2; mean ± SE) than 2019 (2382 ±797 km2). Increased foraging effort during early chick-rearing in 2020 was likely due to decreased capelin availability, resulting from earlier spawning, and greater variation in the timing of spawning among sites, which may have been influenced by warmer waters.
DOI: 10.5441/001/1.tb272jc1
title: Data from: Migratory connectivity and population specific migration routes in a long-distance migratory bird

description: Knowledge about migratory connectivity, the degree to which individuals from the same breeding site migrate to the same wintering site, is essential to understand processes affecting populations of migrants throughout the annual cycle. Here, we study the migration system of a long-distance migratory bird, the Montagu's harrier Circus pygargus, by tracking individuals from different breeding populations throughout northern Europe. We identified three main migration routes towards wintering areas in sub-Saharan Africa. Wintering areas and migration routes of different breeding populations overlapped, a pattern best described by ‘weak (diffuse) connectivity’. Migratory performance, i.e. timing, duration, distance and speed of migration, was surprisingly similar for the three routes despite differences in habitat characteristics. This study provides, to our knowledge, a first comprehensive overview of the migration system of a Palaearctic-African long-distance migrant. We emphasize the importance of spatial scale (e.g. distances between breeding populations) in defining patterns of connectivity and suggest that knowledge about fundamental aspects determining distribution patterns, such as the among-individual variation in mean migration directions, is required to ultimately understand migratory connectivity. Furthermore, we stress that for conservation purposes it is pivotal to consider wintering areas as well as migration routes and in particular stopover sites.
DOI: 10.5441/001/1.46ft1k05
title: Data from: Environmental drivers of variability in the movement ecology of turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) in North and South America

description: NOTE: An updated and larger version of this dataset is available. See https://doi.org/10.5441/001/1.f3qt46r2. ABSTRACT: Variation is key to the adaptability of species and their ability to survive changes to the Earth’s climate and habitats. Plasticity in movement strategies allows a species to better track spatial dynamics of habitat quality. We describe the mechanisms that shape the movement of a long-distance migrant bird (turkey vulture, Cathartes aura) across two continents using satellite tracking coupled with remote-sensing science. Using nearly 10 years of data from 24 satellite-tracked vultures in four distinct populations, we describe an enormous amount of variation in their movement patterns. We related vulture movement to environmental conditions and found important correlations explaining how far they need to move to find food (indexed by the normalized difference vegetation index) and how fast they can move based on the prevalence of thermals and temperature. We conclude that the extensive variability in the movement ecology of turkey vultures, facilitated by their energetically efficient thermal soaring, suggests that this species is likely to do well across periods of modest climate change. The large scale and sample sizes needed for such analysis in a widespread migrant emphasizes the need for integrated and collaborative efforts to obtain tracking data and for policies, tools and open datasets to encourage such collaborations and data sharing.
DOI: 10.5441/001/1.296
title: Data from: Home range size of domestic cats in Spain

description: [EN] This dataset describes the home range size of 64 domestic cats living in different sites in Spain during the years 2021, 2022 and 2023. Cats were tracked with three different types of devices during periods ranging from 8 and 82 days, and they were owned cats living associated with a house (50 individuals), colony unattended cats (13 individuals), and one isolated unattended cats living in a natural area. Four estimates of home range size are presented: Minimum convex polygon method using 100% and 95% of valid fixes, and kernel estimates using 95% and 50% of valid fixes. Additional information on the number of tracking days, date of tracking, number of fixes, or details on cat individuals are also provided. [ES] Este conjunto de datos describe el tamaño del área de campeo de 64 gatos domésticos que vivieron en diferentes lugares de España durante los años 2021, 2022 y 2023. Los gatos fueron rastreados con tres tipos diferentes de dispositivos durante períodos que oscilaron entre 8 y 82 días, y eran gatos con dueño, viviendo asociado a una casa (50 individuos), de una colonia de gatos desatendida (13 individuos) y un gato desatendido que vivía en un área natural. Se presentan cuatro estimas del tamaño del área de campeo: método del polígono convexo mínimo utilizando el 100 % y el 95 % de las localizaciones válidas, y el método de kernel usando el 95% y el 50 % de las localizaciones válidas. También se proporciona información adicional sobre el número de días de seguimiento, las fechas de seguimiento, el número de localizaciones o detalles sobre los gatos.
DOI: 10.5441/001/1.n95c7182
title: Data from: Residency and use of an important nursery habitat, Raja Ampat’s Wayag lagoon, by juvenile reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi)

description: The behaviour and spatial use patterns of juvenile manta rays within their critical nursery habitats remain largely undocumented. Here, we report on the horizontal movements and residency of juvenile reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) at a recently discovered nursery site in the Wayag lagoon, Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, we provide further corroborative evidence that the lagoon serves as an important M. alfredi nursery. A total of 34 juvenile rays were photo-identified from 47 sightings in the sheltered nursery between 2013–2021. Five (14.7%) of these individuals were resighted for at least 486 days (~1.3 years), including two juveniles resighted after 641 and 649 days (~1.7 years), still using the nursery. Visually estimated (n=34) disc widths (DW) of juveniles using the nursery site ranged from 150–240 cm (mean ± SD: 199 ± 19), and the DW of two juveniles measured using drones were 218 and 219 cm. Five juveniles were tracked using GPS-enabled satellite transmitters for 12–69 days (mean ± SD: 37 ± 22) in 2015 and 2017, and nine juveniles were tracked using passive acoustic transmitters for 69–439 days (mean ± SD: 182 ± 109) from May 2019–September 2021. Satellite-tracked individuals exhibited restricted movements within Wayag lagoon. The minimum core activity space (50% Utilisation Distribution-UD) estimated for these five individuals ranged from 1.1–181.8 km2 and the extent of activity space (95% UD) between 5.3–1,195.4 km2 in area. All acoustically tagged individuals displayed high residency within the nursery area, with no acoustic detections recorded outside the lagoon in the broader Raja Ampat region. These juveniles were detected by receivers in the lagoon throughout the 24 h diel cycle, with more detections recorded at night and different patterns of spatial use of the lagoon between day and night. The observed long-term residency of juvenile M. alfredi provides further compelling evidence that the Wayag lagoon is an important nursery area for this globally vulnerable species. These important findings have been used to underpin the formulation of management strategies to specifically protect the Wayag lagoon, which will be instrumental for the survival and recovery of M. alfredi populations in Raja Ampat region.
DOI: 10.5441/001/1.q23p1t84
title: Data from: Wind farm turbines cause functional habitat loss for migratory soaring birds

description: NOTE: An updated and larger version of this dataset is available. See https://doi.org/10.5441/001/1.23n2m412. ABSTRACT: (1) Wind energy production has expanded to meet climate change mitigation goals, but negative impacts of wind turbines have been reported on wildlife. Soaring birds are among the most affected groups with alarming fatality rates by collision with wind turbines and an escalating occupation of their migratory corridors. These birds have been described as changing their flight trajectories to avoid wind turbines, but this behaviour may lead to functional habitat loss, as suitable soaring areas in the proximity of wind turbines will likely be underused. (2) We modelled the displacement effect of wind turbines on black kites (Milvus migrans) tracked by GPS. We also evaluated the impact of this effect at the scale of the landscape by estimating how much suitable soaring area was lost to wind turbines. (3) We used state‐of‐art tracking devices to monitor the movements of 130 black kites in an area populated by wind turbines, at the migratory bottleneck of the Strait of Gibraltar. Landscape use by birds was mapped from GPS data using dynamic Brownian bridge movement models and generalized additive mixed modelling was used to estimate the effect of wind turbine proximity on bird use while accounting for orographic and thermal uplift availability. (4) We found that areas up to approximately 674 m away from the turbines were less used than expected given their uplift potential. Within that distance threshold, bird use decreased with the proximity to wind turbines. We estimated that the footprint of wind turbines affected 3‐14% of the areas suitable for soaring in our study area. (5) We present evidence that the impacts of wind energy industry on soaring birds are greater than previously acknowledged. In addition to the commonly reported fatalities, the avoidance of turbines by soaring birds causes habitat losses in their movement corridors. Authorities should recognize this further impact of wind energy production and establish new regulations that protect soaring habitat. We also showed that soaring habitat for birds can be modelled at a fine scale using publicly available data. Such an approach can be used to plan low‐impact placement of turbines in new wind energy developments.
DOI: 10.5441/001/1.9cj0t65k
title: Data from: Non‐breeding areas and timing of migration in relation to weather of Scottish‐breeding common sandpipers Actitis hypoleucos

description: The number of breeding common sandpipers has declined in Britain due to poorer return rates from non‐breeding areas. To investigate little known aspects of their annual cycle, breeding common sandpipers were fitted with geolocators to track their migrations and determine their non‐breeding areas. Ten tagged birds left Scotland on 9 July (median dates and durations are given throughout the abstract). Short‐term staging was carried out by some birds in England and Ireland, then for longer by most birds in Iberia before continuing to West Africa, arriving on 28 July. Six birds spent most of the non‐breeding season (October–February) on the coast of Guinea‐Bissau, suggesting that this is a key area. Single birds occurred in Sierra Leone, Guinea, the Canary Islands and Western Sahara. The southward migration from Scotland took 17.5 days (range 1.5‐24 days), excluding the initial fuelling period. The first northward movement from Africa was on 12 April. Staging occurred in either Morocco, Iberia or France. Arrival in Scotland was on 2 May. The northward migration took 16 days (range 13.5‐20.5 days). The main migration strategy involved short‐ and medium‐range flights, using tail‐winds in most cases. Variation in strategy was associated with departure date; birds that left later staged for shorter durations. Coastal West Africa provides two major habitats for common sandpipers: mudflats associated with mangroves and rice fields. Although the area of mangrove has been depleted, the scale of loss has probably been insufficient to account for the decline in sandpiper numbers. Rice fields are expanding, providing feeding areas for water‐birds. Meteorological data during the migrations suggest that the weather during the southward migration is unlikely to contribute to a population decline but strong cross‐winds or head‐winds during the northward migration to the breeding grounds may do so.
DOI: 10.5441/001/1.287
title: Data from: Non-breeding ecology of a Neotropical-Nearctic migrant, the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor): Habitat, activity patterns, molt, and migration

description: Long-distance migratory aerial insectivores are among the most threatened groups of birds breeding in North America, yet little is published about the two-thirds of their annual cycle that unfolds in South America. To study non-breeding ecology and migration of the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), we observed, captured, and GPS-tagged individuals at Reserva Natural Rincón de Santa Marí­a, an Important Bird Area on the Paraná River in Corrientes, Argentina, from 2017 to 2022 (237 captures, 95 individuals, 556 GPS fixes from 8 females). Common Nighthawks arrived at the reserve (late November to mid-January) partway through flight feather molt; primaries 8, 9, and 10 molted consecutively until early February, followed by body feathers. Three tagged females spent December/January to March at the reserve, May to August in Florida (USA), and October/November to December/January in the Cerrado (Brazil), and at least one traveled 1800 km while molting P8. Recapture rates across seasons were 44% for females and 25% for males. Small body size and breeding locations in Florida are consistent with the chapmani subspecies previously recorded from Argentina. Direct observations and GPS tracking (8 individuals) revealed that nighthawks roosted during the day in mature exotic pines; foraged over pines and native grasslands for 26–41 min within ~40 min after sunset, nearly always in silence; and rested for the remainder of the night in native grasslands, on roads, or on rocky platforms. Common Nighthawks should be included among the growing number of migratory species that exhibit long-distance movements between stationary sites during their long non-breeding period. Our results also suggest site fidelity to non-breeding areas, a continuous molt-migration strategy, and some nuanced migratory connectivity. Programs aiming to conserve long-distance migratory aerial insectivores should support long-term monitoring led from the Global South, especially in the Cerrado and southern South America. Please see Appendix 1 for a Spanish translation of this article.
DOI: 10.5441/001/1.nr8qv005
title: Data from: Migratory movements of Atlantic puffins Fratercula arctica naumanni from High Arctic Greenland

description: Although the Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica is well studied throughout its temperate and low Arctic breeding range, few have studied the species in its far northern distribution. This study is the first to present data on the migratory movements of the "large-billed" subspecies, F. a. naumanni, that breeds in the high Arctic and which has significantly larger body size than those farther south. During 2013–2015, migration tracks were collected from nine adult puffins (6 males and 3 females) tagged with geolocators in northwest Greenland. Overall, female puffins traveled farther than males on their annual migration, with one female puffin traveling over 13,600 km, which was nearly a third farther than any tagged male in our study. Differential migration was observed in migratory phenology and route, with males using a form of chain migration with acute synchrony between individuals while females appeared to largely use leap-frog migration and showed little synchrony between individuals. Extreme sexual segregation in wintering areas was evidenced by two females that migrated to the southern limit of the species’ range while the six males remained at the northern limit, and wintered along the sea ice edge during portions of the non-breeding season. Male puffins thus wintered in regions with sea surface temperatures up to 10°C cooler than female puffins, and in areas with generally colder sea surface temperatures when compared to previously known wintering areas of temperate and low Arctic puffin breeding populations. The degree to which body size enables male F. a. naumanni to remain in colder waters likely reflects differing life history constraints between sexes and populations (i.e., subspecies). Further study is warranted to investigate how recent changes in climate have further exacerbated the observed differences between sexes in high Arctic puffins and possibly other marine avian species.
DOI: 10.5441/001/1.k6s7916g
title: Data from: Study "GPS tracking of eastern whip-poor-will"

description: Aim: A full annual cycle approach to conservation and understanding of regional population trends requires an understanding of migratory connectivity. We present tracking data on the eastern whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus), a Neotropical migrant that has declined by 70% in recent decades. When and where populations of this species are limited throughout the annual cycle is poorly understood. Location: Breeding area: midwestern United States; passage area and winter area: midwestern/southern United States, Mexico, Central America. Methods: We utilized data from 52 archival GPS tags from five breeding areas covering a 9.5-degree latitudinal span (~1000 km) of the whip-poor-will breeding range in the summers of 2017 and 2019. We identified migratory routes and spatiotemporal bottlenecks, stopover and wintering locations, calculated migratory connectivity throughout migration and on the wintering grounds and tested predictions for three latitudinal connectivity patterns. Results: Whip-poor-wills circumvented the Gulf of Mexico, and populations across a large latitudinal gradient came together in eastern Texas in early October, resulting in decreased connectivity throughout migration. Breeding-winter migratory connectivity was low (MC = 0.22 ± 0.12), with extensive overlap of core wintering areas in southern Mexico and Guatemala. The overlap of wintering areas by individuals from dispersed breeding latitudes suggests that whip-poor-wills most closely resemble telescopic migrants. Main conclusions: Circumventing the Gulf of Mexico influenced connectivity in the whip-poor-will, funnelling individuals into a small region in eastern Texas in migration and likely influencing breeding-winter connectivity. Thus, geographically dispersed breeding populations overlap in space and time during migration and winter, and non-breeding season conditions affecting populations (both positively and negatively) impact individuals from across the core breeding range. For example, extensive deforestation occurring in the whip-poor-will's core wintering area likely impacts individuals from all five deployment locations. We demonstrate that combining multiple indices of spatiotemporal cohesion is critical to fully understand how migratory animals are distributed in the non-breeding season.