A bird distribution model for ring recovery data: where do the European robins go?

ABSTRACT: For the study of migratory connectivity, birds have been individually marked by metal rings for more than 100 years. The resulting ring recovery data have been compiled in numerous bird migration atlases. However, estimation of what proportion of a particular population is migrating to which region is confounded by spatial heterogeneity in ring recovery probability. We present a product multinomial model that enables quantifying the continent-wide distribution of different bird populations during different seasons based on ring recovery data while accounting for spatial heterogeneity of ring recovery probability. We applied the model to an example data set of the European robin Erithacus rubecula. We assumed that ring recovery probability was equal between different groups of birds and tha

SUBMITTER: Korner-Nievergelt F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3967898 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature