Long-Distance Range Expansion and Rapid Adjustment of Migration in a Newly Established Population of Barn Swallows Breeding in Argentina
Winkler, D.W.; Gandoy, F.A.; Areta, J.I.; Iliff, M.J.; Rakhimberdiev, E.; Kardynal, K.J.; Hobson, K.A. (2017). Long-Distance Range Expansion and Rapid Adjustment of Migration in a Newly Established Population of Barn Swallows Breeding in Argentina. Curr. Biol. 27(7): 1080-1084. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.03.006 In: Current Biology. Cell Press: London. ISSN 0960-9822; e-ISSN 1879-0445, more |  |
| Authors | | Top | - Winkler, D.W.
- Gandoy, F.A.
- Areta, J.I.
- Iliff, M.J.
| - Rakhimberdiev, E., more
- Kardynal, K.J.
- Hobson, K.A.
| |
| Abstract | When bird populations spread, long-distance pioneeringpopulations are often backfilled by amore slowly advancing front [1–3]. The Barn SwallowHirundo rustica, a globally distributedpasserine [4, 5], expanded its breeding range anexceptional 7,000 km when it began breeding 35years ago in its regular wintering range in Argentina[6], subsequently expanding over 500 km from itsstarting point [7–11]. Trans-hemispheric breedingattempts have occurred previously in related swallows[12–14], but only this colonization has lasted.Comparative studies of birds show a remarkablediversity in patterns of change in migratory habits[15–21], and these Argentine-breeding swallowsmight retain ancestral patterns, breeding inArgentina but returning to North America for theaustral winter. Feather isotopes from these birdsare consistent with the alternative possibility thatthey migrate no farther than northern South America[22]. Because isotopic patterns cannot definitivelydistinguish these alternatives, we pursued asolar geolocator study [23, 24] to do so. Datafrom nine tagged birds show conclusively thatBarn Swallows breeding in Argentina have rapidlychanged their movements to migrate no farthernorth in austral winter than northern South America.The phenology of the annual cycles of molt,migration, and breeding for these Argentinebreedingswallows have all shifted by about6 months, and we suggest that stimulatory daylengths and the proliferation of nesting substratesfacilitated their colonization. |
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