AI Chat Paper
Note: Please note that the following content is generated by AMiner AI. SciOpen does not take any responsibility related to this content.
{{lang === 'zh_CN' ? '文章概述' : 'Summary'}}
{{lang === 'en_US' ? '中' : 'Eng'}}
Chat more with AI
Powered by AMiner. Clicking this button will take you away from SciOpen.
Home Avian Research Article
PDF (2 MB)
Cite
EndNote(RIS) BibTeX
Collect
Submit Manuscript AI Chat Paper
Show Outline
Outline
Show full outline
Hide outline
Outline
Show full outline
Hide outline
Research Article | Open Access

Altitudinal migration behavior patterns of birds on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga, China

Ian Haase,1, Zhengwei Liu,1, Shangmingyu Zhang, Zhehan Dong, Yuwen Cheng, Kaize Feng, Kexin Peng, Jianghong Ran, Yongjie Wu( )
Key Laboratory of Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China

1 These two authors contributed equally to this work.

Show Author Information

Abstract

Many bird species in montane regions exhibit altitudinal migration behavior; however, altitudinal migration of birds is still understudied, especially in Asia. Mt. Gongga (7556 ​m) is the highest peak of the Hengduan Mountains in Southwest China. The steep elevation gradient and the high bird diversity make the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga (Hailuo Valley) an ideal place for studying the altitudinal migration behavior patterns of birds. We synchronously recorded the local bird diversity, temperature and humidity at two sites (1800 and 3000 ​m a.s.l.) during three migration seasons from September 2020 to June 2021 to identify birds exhibiting altitudinal migration behavior. During our surveys, we recorded 146 bird species in total and 20 passerine bird species were altitudinal migrants according to our altitudinal migration formula. Among those 20 altitudinal migrant species, eight bird species displayed a typical altitudinal migration pattern (upward migration during the breeding season and downward migration during the non-breeding season). Moreover, temperature was correlated with the daily number of individuals (DNI) at each study site. Therefore, increasing temperatures possibly caused upward migration of birds (DNI decreased at 1800 ​m and increased at 3000 ​m) and vice versa. To further elaborate, the Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher (Ficedula strophiata), the species with the most prominent altitudinal migration behavior, initiated upward migration at a temperature of 11–12 ​℃ at 1800 ​m and initiated downward migration at a temperature of 12–13 ​℃ at 3000 ​m. Besides, humidity was positively correlated with the DNI. Therefore, increasing humidity (equals to increasing rainfall or snow) possibly caused downward migration of birds (DNI increased) and vice versa. Furthermore, bird species exhibiting a typical altitudinal migration behavior pattern are feeding on insects. Thus, the spatial and temporal changes of the invertebrate biomass might be an important ecological driver for the altitudinal migration of invertivorous (birds eating invertebrates) birds. This study provides fundamental data for the altitudinal migration of birds in the Hengduan Mountains and shows how altitudinal migration is seasonally dynamic across an elevational gradient in a subtropical mountain region.

Keywords

TemperatureHumidityBirdsMt. GonggaAltitudinal migrationHengduan MountainsInvertebrate biomass

References

 

Araújo, C.D.O., Hortal, J., de Macedo, M.V., Monteiro, R.F., 2022. Elevational and seasonal distribution of Scarabaeinae dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera) at Itatiaia National Park (Brazil). Int. J. Trop. Insect Sci. 42, 1579–1592. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-021-00680-8.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Barçante, L., Vale, M.M., Alves, M.A.S., 2017. Altitudinal migration by birds: a review of the literature and a comprehensive list of species. J. Field Ornithol. 88, 321–335. https://doi.org/10.1111/jofo.12234.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Borras, A., Senar, J.C., Alba-Sánchez, F., López-Sáez, J.A., Cabrera, J., Colomé, X., et al., 2010. Citril finches during the winter: patterns of distribution, the role of pines and implications for the conservation of the species. Anim. Biodivers. Conserv. 33, 89–115.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Boyle, W.A., 2010. Does food abundance explain altitudinal migration in a tropical frugivorous bird? Can. J. Zool. 88, 204–213. https://doi.org/10.1139/Z09-133.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Boyle, W.A., 2011. Short-distance partial migration of Neotropical birds: a community-level test of the foraging limitation hypothesis. Oikos 120, 1803–1816. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19432.x.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Boyle, W.A., 2017. Altitudinal bird migration in North America. Auk 134, 443–465. https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-16-228.1.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Chaves-Campos, J., 2004. Elevational movements of large frugivorous birds and temporal variation in abundance of fruits along an elevational gradient. Ornitol. Neotrop. 15, 433–445.
Google Scholar
 

Cheng, G., Luo, J., 2004. Succession features and dynamic simulation of subalpine forest in the Gongga Mountain, China. J. Mt. Sci. 1, 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02919357.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Dingle, H., Drake, V.A., 2007. What is migration? Bioscience 57, 113–121. https://doi.org/10.1641/B570206.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Ghosh-Harihar, M., Price, T.D., 2014. A test for community saturation along the Himalayan bird diversity gradient, based on within-species geographical variation. J. Anim. Ecol. 83, 628–638. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12157.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Gutiérrez, D., Wilson, R.J., 2014. Climate conditions and resource availability drive return elevational migrations in a single-brooded insect. Oecologia 175, 861–873. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-2952-4.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Habel, J.C., Rasche, L., Schneider, U.A., Engler, J.O., Schmid, E., Rödder, D., et al., 2019. Final countdown for biodiversity hotspots. Conserv. Lett. 12, e12668. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12668.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Hahn, T.P., Sockman, K.W., Breuner, C.W., Morton, M.L., 2004. Facultative altitudinal movements by mountain white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha) in the Sierra Nevada. Auk 121, 1269–1281. https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/121.4.1269.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

He, X., Wang, X., DuBay, S., Reeve, A.H., Alström, P., Ran, J., et al., 2019. Elevational patterns of bird species richness on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga, Sichuan Province, China. Avian Res. 10, 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-018-0140-7.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

He, X., DuBay, S., Zhangshang, M., Cheng, Y., Liu, Z., Li, D., et al., 2022. Seasonal elevational patterns and the underlying mechanisms of avian diversity and community structure on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga. Divers. Distrib. 28, 2459–2474. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13475.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Henry, P., 2011. Differential migration in the polygynandrous Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris. Bird Study 58, 160–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2010.543948.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Hsiung, A.C., Boyle, W.A., Cooper, R.J., Chandler, R.B., 2018. Altitudinal migration: ecological drivers, knowledge gaps, and conservation implications. Biol. Rev. 93, 2049–2070. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12435.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Jones, J.D., Kauffman, M.J., Monteith, K.L., Scurlock, B.M., Albeke, S.E., Cross, P.C., 2014. Supplemental feeding alters migration of a temperate ungulate. Ecol. Appl. 24, 1769–1779. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-2092.1.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Körner, C., 2007. The use of ‘altitude’ in ecological research. Trends Ecol. Evol. 22, 569–574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2007.09.006.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Lehikoinen, A., Hokkanen, T., Lokki, H., 2011. Young and female-biased irruptions in pygmy owls Glaucidium passerinum in southern Finland. J. Avian Biol. 42, 564–569. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-048X.2011.05461.x.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Liu, Y., Chen, S., 2021. The CNG Field Guide to the Birds of China, first ed. Hunan Science and Technology Press, Changsha.
 

MacKinnon, J., 2021. Guide to the Birds of China, first ed. Beijing Commercial Press, Beijing.
 

MacKinnon, J., Phillips, K., He, F., 2000. A Field Guide to the Birds of China, first ed. Hunan Education Press, Changsha.
 

Martin, T.G., Chadès, I., Arcese, P., Marra, P.P., Possingham, H.P., Norris, D.R., 2007. Optimal conservation of migratory species. PLoS One 2, e751. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0000751.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

McCain, C.M., 2009. Global analysis of bird elevational diversity. Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr. 18, 346–360. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-8238.2008.00443.x.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Merkord, C.L., 2010. Seasonality and Elevational Migration in an Andean Bird Community, first ed. University of Missouri, Columbia.
 

Morrissey, C.A., Bendell-Young, L.I., Elliott, J.E., 2004. Seasonal trends in population density, distribution, and movement of American dippers within a watershed of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Condor 106, 815–825. https://doi.org/10.1093/condor/106.4.815.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

O'Neill, J.P., Parker, T.A., 1978. Responses of birds to a snowstorm in the Andes of southern Peru. Wilson Bull. 90, 446–449.
Google Scholar
 

Pageau, C., Vale, M.M., de Menezes, M.A., Barçante, L., Shaikh, M., Alves, M.A.S., et al., 2020. Evolution of altitudinal migration in passerines is linked to diet. Ecol. Evol. 10, 3338–3345. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6126.
Crossref Google Scholar
 
Polakowski, M., Broniszewska, M., Skierczynski, M., 2008. Sex and Age Composition during Autumn Migration of Pygmy Owl Glaucidium passerinum in Central Sweden in 2005, vol. 18, pp. 82–86.
Crossref
 

Pratt, A.C., Smith, K.T., Beck, J.L., 2017. Environmental cues used by greater sage-grouse to initiate altitudinal migration. Auk 134, 628–643. https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-16-192.1.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Que, P., Zhu, L., Zhang, J., Wang, J., Li, Z., Shen, Y., et al., 2020. Updates to the checklist of birds in Sichuan Province. Sichuan J. Zool. 39, 332–360.
Google Scholar
 

Rappole, J., 2013. The Avian Migrant, first ed. Columbia University Press, New York.
Crossref
 

Good, D.A., 1996. Misuse of data from mist-net captures to assess relative abundance in bird populations. Auk 113, 381–398. https://doi.org/10.2307/4088905.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Resano-Mayor, J., Bettega, C., del Mar Delgado, M., Fernández-Martín, Á., Hernández-Gómez, S., Toranzo, I., et al., 2020. Partial migration of White-winged snowfinches is correlated with winter weather conditions. Glob. Ecol. Conserv. 24, e01346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01346.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Supriya, K., Moreau, C.S., Sam, K., Price, T.D., 2019. Analysis of tropical and temperate elevational gradients in arthropod abundance. Front. Biogeogr. 11, e43104. https://doi.org/10.21425/F5FBG43104.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Tsai, P., Ko, C., Chia, S.Y., Lu, Y., Tuanmu, M., 2021. New insights into the patterns and drivers of avian altitudinal migration from a growing crowdsourcing data source. Ecography 44, 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05196.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Wade, A.S.I., Barov, B., Burfield, I.J., Gregory, R.D., Norris, K., Butler, S.J., 2013. Quantifying the detrimental impacts of land-use and management change on European forest bird populations. PLoS One 8, e64552. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0064552.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Wu, Y., Colwell, R.K., Rahbek, C., Zhang, C., Quan, Q., Wang, C., et al., 2013. Explaining the species richness of birds along a subtropical elevational gradient in the Hengduan Mountains. J. Biogeogr. 40, 2310–2323. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12177.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Wu, Y., DuBay, S.G., Colwell, R.K., Ran, J., Lei, F., 2017a. Mobile hotspots and refugia of avian diversity in the mountains of south-west China under past and contemporary global climate change. J. Biogeogr. 44, 615–626.
Crossref Google Scholar
 

Wu, Y., He, X., Zhou, H., He, M., Yong, F., Zhang, W., et al., 2017b. Avifauna of the eastern slope of Mount Gongga. Sichuan J. Zool. 36, 601–615.
Google Scholar
 
Zhang, J., 1996. A Manual to Identify Sichuan Birds. In: first ed. China Forestry Publishing House, Beijing.
 

Zheng, G., 2017. A Checklist on the Classification and Distribution of the Birds of China, third ed. Beijing Science Press, Beijing.
 

Zhong, X.H., 1999. The characteristics of the mountain ecosystem and environment in the Gongga Mountain region. Ambio 28, 648–654.
Google Scholar
Avian Research
Volume 14 Issue 3,
September 2023
Article number: 100114
DOI: 10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100114
Cite this article:
Haase I, Liu Z, Zhang S, et al. Altitudinal migration behavior patterns of birds on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga, China. Avian Research, 2023, 14(3): 100114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100114

331

Views

9

Downloads

0

Crossref

0

Web of Science

0

Scopus

0

CSCD

Altmetrics
Received: 06 April 2023
Revised: 29 May 2023
Accepted: 15 June 2023
Published: 30 June 2023
© 2023 The Authors.

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Return