Migration ecology
Migration ecology
What is migration ecology?
Migration ecology focuses on the scientific study of animal migration. Important research questions concern the genetic basis of the migratory syndrome, what specific skills animals require for migration, how proximte and ultimate mechanisms alter the spatial and temporal distribution and abundance of migrating animals within the annual cycle, the interactions between animals and their biotic and abiotic environment, and how migrating animals influence energy and material cycles within and between ecosystems.
News
28.06.2025 - News about the migration of Siberian Barn Swallows
Barn swallows are native to almost all continents and have developed different migration strategies. However, until now, nothing was known about the migration routes of the Siberian Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica tytleri. Using geolocators and ring recoveries, a team led by Wieland Heim has now discovered that swallows from the Lake Baikal area overwinter in Southeast Asia. In doing so, they appear to choose a direct migration route, which differs from those of other Barn Swallow populations in Asia. The results were published in the Journal of Ornithology: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-025-02306-z
Anisimova V, Anisimov Y, Bastardot M, Beermann I, Kunz F, Heim W (2025) Geolocator tracking and ring recoveries reveal the migration of Siberian Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica tytleri. Journal of Ornithology https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-025-02306-z
06.06.2025 - Songbird migration & moonlight
Are skylarks preferring bright nights for migration? A new study led by Wieland Heim based on ringing data demonstrates that the probability of capturing skylarks increases with moonlight intensity and during the days around full moon. This contradicts previous assumptions that small bird migrants would avoid bright nights due to increased predation pressure and decreased visibility of stars for orientation. The authors argue that migrants relying on visual cues for orientation might favour moonlit nights, while future studies should also test whether the position of the moon can be used for navigation by birds.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-04270-3
Prinz D, Heim RJ, Meinken M, Niemann N, Temme L, Esther A, Heim W (2025) Lunar cycle and moonlight intensity influence nocturnal migration patterns in a small songbird. Scientific Reports 15: 19944 [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04270-3]
02.06.2025 - Victory at volleyball tournament
We are happy to announce to have won this year´s volleyball tournament of the institute of biology and environmental sciences. The trophy is a bird (Avocet) - fitting very well to our group!
27.05.2025 - Songbird tracking from Japan
New paper on tracking Narcissus Flycatcher (Ficedula narcissina) and Amur Stonechat (Saxicola stejnegeri) from Japan with contributions of our working group: loop vs. same route migration.
Both species used stopover sites in coastal eastern China, which indicates their biological significance in this flyway.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-025-02297-x
22.05.2025 - Great success!
Outstanding success for the University of Oldenburg: all three top research projects that applied for funding as Clusters of Excellence in the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments have been approved and will be funded for seven years.
The ‘NaviSense’ Cluster of Excellence of the Oldenburg experts in animal navigation research will be funded for the first time. They had applied for funding totalling 54.7 million euros.
Congratulations to all those involved!!!!
03.04.2025 - Microplastic pollution in wild birds
In a new study based on a student-project of Clara Holtmannspötter and led by Wieland Heim (our group) and Friederike Gabel (Universität Münster) we found that faecal samples collected during bird ringing can be used to monitor microplastic pollution in wild birds. Urban waterbird species showed high microplastic pollution rates (almost all birds affected) and high pollution levels (up to 72 microplastic particles per mg faeces). The observed microplastic pollution rates/levels of urban waterbirds were higher compared to other studies on freshwater bird species.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725009428
01.04.2025 - New study on long-tailed duck migration
In a multiple year and multiple site study, long-tailed ducks were tracked with geolocators, revealing that the Baltic Sea remains the most important wintering site for the European population, underlining the observed drastic population declines in the Baltic.
Karwinkel, T., Pollet, I. L., et al. (2025). Individual Variation in Migration and Wintering Patterns of Long-Tailed Ducks Clangula hyemalis From a Population in Decline. Ecology & Evolution, e71187. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.71187
24.03.2025 - The opportunities of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System
In a new article, we as an international team of scientists, summarise the opportunities of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System from a European perspective. From the evolution of new migration routes to the identification of important stopover sites, this tracking method offers a wide range of opportunities for research and follow-up protection of small migratory birds, bats and insects.
Mitchell, L., Brust, V., Karwinkel, T., Åkesson, S., Kishkinev, D., Norevik, G., Szep, T., Hedenström, A., Lagerveld, S., Helm, B., & Schmaljohann, H. (2025). Conservation-focused mapping of avian migratory routes using a pan-European automated telemetry network. Conservation Biology, e70017. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70017
18.03.2025 - A short note on the migration of a Bluethroat
The short note on the migration of a Bluethroat (Blaukehlchen) from Central Siberia was now published in the Journal of Ornithology:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-025-02270-8
This work was based on several years of fieldwork at two remote sites in Siberia - however, covid and the Russian war in Ukraine has hampered retrieval of loggers and therefore we can only present a single track. This bird used the Central Asian flyway to migrate to wintering grounds at the border between India and Pakistan, differing from an eastern Siberian Bluethroat which was tracked previously along the East Asian flyway, likely migrating through China to Myanmar. We speculate that a migratory divide exists somewhere west of the Yenisei river, separating populations of the same subspecies that migrate either east or west of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.
The paper was based on the Bachelor thesis of Sarah Strubbe, supervised by Nathalie Kürten (IfV) and Wieland Heim here in Oldenburg.
Current research priorities
We are an important part of the following cooperative research areas:
Magnetoreception and navigation in vertebrates: from biophysics to brain and behaviour
The central goal of the Sonderforschungsbereich (SFB)/Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1372 is to gain a comprehensive and multidisciplinary understanding of magnetoreception and navigation in vertebrates, from the biophysical mechanisms to the natural behaviour of navigating animals, taking into account all intermediate steps.
Excellent Research on Animal Navigation
The scientific mission of the Cluster of Excellence proposal NaviSense is to provide a thorough, interdisciplinary understanding of the mechanisms used by animals to navigate, and how these mechanisms can inspire technology and impact society, ecology, and biodiversity.