Scientists at the Center for Conservation Biology (CCB) have tracked 3
whimbrels off the east coast of Canada to the northern shore of South America
via a previously unknown migration pathway over the open Atlantic Ocean. The
route passed through the center of the vast Atlantic at one point passing 1,000
miles closer to Africa than to North America and within 700 miles of the Cape
Verde Islands. The bird with the longest flight flew nonstop for 145 hours (6
days) covering a distance of 7,000 kilometers (4,355 miles).
The three birds named Mackenzie, Taglu, and Akpik were originally marked by CCB
and Canadian Wildlife Service staff on the breeding grounds along the Mackenzie
River Delta in far western Canada (Mackenzie was fitted with a transmitter
recovered from Machi, a bird that was shot on Guadeloupe in September of 2011).
In mid-July the birds flew across the continent to the east coast of Canada
and staged for approximately 2 weeks in the James Bay and the Gulf of St.
Lawrence to build fat reserves. The birds then flew southeast, reaching the
center of the Atlantic Ocean before turning south and making landfall in South
America between Guyana and Brazil. Although this portion of the Atlantic is
used by true seabirds that roost on the water, it is so isolated from shore
that species such as whimbrel that cannot land on water were not believed to
reach it. The birds may receive some benefit from venturing this far out to
sea in the form of favorable tailwinds. Mackenzie averaged just under 30 miles
per hour (48 kilometers per hour) for the 6-day flight.
The three birds are part of a larger project that has included 20 additional
birds that have been tracked to better understand migratory pathways and
locations that are critical for this declining species. The study has tracked
whimbrels for more than 185,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) since 2008. The
broader tracking project is a collaborative effort between The Center for
Conservation Biology, The Canadian Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy,
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Georgia Department of Natural Resources,
the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, and Manomet Center for
Conservation Sciences.
Map Link
http://ccb-wm.org/news/pressreleases_pdfs/20120814_Whimbrel_migration_map.jpg
____________
Michael Wilson
Center for Conservation Biology
College of William and Mary & Virginia Commonwealth University
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
phone: 757-221-1649
fax: 757-221-1650
email: mdwils@xxxxxx
web: www.ccb-wm.org
