Effects of weather variation on waterfowl migration: Lessons from a continental-scale generalizable avian movement and energetics model.

ABSTRACT: We developed a continental energetics-based model of daily mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) movement during the non-breeding period (September to May) to predict year-specific migration and overwinter occurrence. The model approximates movements and stopovers as functions of metabolism and weather, in terms of temperature and frozen precipitation (i.e., snow). The model is a Markov process operating at the population level and is parameterized through a review of literature. We applied the model to 62 years of daily weather data for the non-breeding period. The average proportion of available habitat decreased as weather severity increased, with mortality decreasing as the proportion of available habitat increased. The most commonly used locations during the course of the non-breeding p

SUBMITTER: Aagaard KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8853969 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature