Association of weather variables with the migration phenology and body conditions of Siberian warblers

Abstract

Different elements of weather, such as wind speed, wind direction, precipitation and temperature are very important regulators of bird migration. Weather conditions also play role on the body condition such as body mass and the deposited fat. In this study we selected four warbler species to examine the impact of different weather variables on their spring and autumn migration timing and their body condition in one of the most extreme weather areas of the Earth, at Lake Baikal in Siberia. We also studied the changes in body mass and fat reserves during the spring and autumn migration periods of these species. For the analyses, we used ringing data of 2471 birds from five spring and five autumn seasons during 2015–2019. According to our results, it can be stated that the weather did not have a significant association with the migration timing of the studied warblers, perhaps due to the geographical location of the study site. However, the body mass and the fat reserves of the birds increased during unsuitable weather conditions because of the increased energy requirements. Birds generally migrate with low fat reserves, which is due to the fact that this area is not an important stopover site for these species.