Remote tracking of the spatio-temporal distribution of western taiga bean geese (Anser fabalis fabalis, Anseriformes, Aves) in Russia for improving the conservation strategy

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Abstract

The Western Taiga Bean Goose subpopulation wintering in Europe has been shown to decline in the recent decades. At the same time, the population dynamics of most migratory birds largely depend on the quality of migratory stopover sites necessary to replenish energetic reserves. The migration ecology of the Western Taiga Bean Goose has been insufficiently well studied, being known: only in general terms, but the timing of migration, the places of many key stopovers in Russia have not described. Neither information on their conservation status nor the intensity and duration of their use by birds are available. Without this knowledge, no effective protection of any migrating population is possible to organize. We analyzed the dynamics and phenology of migrations, as well as the conservation status of stopover and pre-migration sites of the Western Taiga Bean Goose nesting in the forest zone of Western and Central Siberia and wintering in northern Germany and Poland, based on GPS-tracking. We used data from 45 completed spring migrations from 25 tagged birds and 36 completed autumn migrations from 20 birds over the period of 2019–2023. Only 15.3% stopovers are covered by the existing network of protected areas, where the geese spend only 19.2% time. The results of the study can be used to develop an effective strategy for the conservation during the period of migration. We propose a hunting ban and/or the creation of protected areas within the main key stopover sites.

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About the authors

S. V. Volkov

A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: rozenfeldbro@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

S. B. Rozenfeld

A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: rozenfeldbro@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. Changes in the timing of the onset of spring migration (a) and arrival at nesting areas (b) for the forest bean goose in 2019–2023. In both cases, a reliable shift in timing to earlier dates is noted: for the onset of migration (τ = –0.22, p < 0.05), for the end (τ = –0.35, p < 0.0005).

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3. Fig. 2. Interannual variations in the latitudinal-temporal distribution of migratory stopovers of the forest bean goose in 2019–2023.

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4. Fig. 3. Heat map of spring migration: routes and intensity of territory use along the forest bean goose flyway in 2019–2023. Rectangles highlight key areas where the most important migration stops are concentrated: 1 – Baltic region, 2 – Central Black Earth region, 3 – Volga region (Sviyago-Vyatka interfluve).

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5. Fig. 4. Duration of spring stops of forest bean goose depending on longitude.

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6. Fig. 5. Migration routes for moulting after unsuccessful breeding, nesting sites, moulting sites and pre-migration stops of the forest bean goose, according to data from 2019–2023.

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7. Fig. 6. Heat map of autumn migration: routes and intensity of territory use along the migration route of the forest bean goose in 2019–2023.

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8. Fig. 7. Differences in the duration of autumn migration (a, days), duration of stay at migration stops (b, days) and flight speed (c, km/h) depending on the success of reproduction in the current season: in pairs with broods (1) and those that have lost broods (0).

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9. Fig. 8. Isophenes of spring migration of forest bean geese in the territory of the European part of Russia and Western Siberia. Objective observation data allow us to identify boundaries that reasonably show the periods of presence of forest bean geese at migration stops.

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