Behavioural and Physiological Ecology group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, E-18071, Granada, Spain.
Sci Rep. 2019 Apr 17;9(1):6238. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-41943-2.
Variation in home range size throughout the year and its causes are not well understood yet. Migratory brood parasites offer a unique opportunity to incorporate this spatio-temporal dimension into the study of the factors regulating home range dynamics. Using satellite transmitters, we tracked sixteen migratory great spotted cuckoos (Clamator glandarius) of both sexes for up to three years. We constructed home ranges in all major staging areas, from the Spanish breeding areas to the African wintering grounds, analyzed their temporal and geographical variation and investigated their main potential determinants (e.g. food and host availability). We found that home ranges were significantly larger in the breeding area compared to non-breeding areas. Using NDVI as a proxy for food availability, we showed that breeding area home ranges have significantly lower food availability per km than home ranges elsewhere which could explain why cuckoos use alternative areas with higher food availability before initiating migration. We also found some evidence for sex differences. Additionally, we found no indications of territoriality in this species, providing novel information into the current debate on brood parasite territoriality. Overall, food availability seems to be an important factor regulating home range dynamics and influencing migratory patterns throughout the year in great spotted cuckoos.
家域大小在一年中的变化及其原因尚不完全清楚。迁徙性巢寄生者为将时空维度纳入调节家域动态的因素研究提供了独特的机会。我们使用卫星发射器对 16 只雌雄两性迁徙性大斑啄木鸟（Clamator glandarius）进行了长达三年的追踪。我们在从西班牙繁殖区到非洲越冬地的所有主要停歇区构建了家域，并分析了它们的时空变化，调查了它们的主要潜在决定因素（例如食物和宿主的可利用性）。我们发现，繁殖区的家域明显大于非繁殖区。我们使用 NDVI 作为食物可利用性的替代指标，表明繁殖区家域每公里的食物可利用性明显低于其他地方的家域，这可以解释为什么杜鹃会在开始迁徙之前利用其他食物可利用性更高的替代区域。我们还发现了一些性别差异的证据。此外，我们在该物种中没有发现领地性的迹象，为关于巢寄生者领地性的当前争论提供了新的信息。总的来说，食物可利用性似乎是调节家域动态并影响大斑啄木鸟全年迁徙模式的一个重要因素。
