Tracking the migration of a Bluethroat Luscinia svecica svecica from central Siberia

Abstract

The Red-spotted Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica svecica) has a large breeding range in northern Eurasia and populations are known to migrate along the Indo-European or the East Asian flyway towards wintering areas in South and South-East Asia. The migration routes of birds breeding in Western and Central Siberia, where a migratory divide is expected, remain largely unknown. In this study, we tracked a Red-spotted Bluethroat with light-level geolocation from its breeding site in Central Siberia to its wintering area in the border region between north-western India and Pakistan. The bird followed the Central Asian flyway, with possible stopovers near the Tien Shan mountains during autumn as well as north and south of the Central Asian mountain ranges and in north-eastern Kazakhstan during spring migration. Our findings suggest a potential migratory divide for Red-spotted Bluethroats east of the Yenisei River, supported by contrasting migration patterns between Central and north-eastern Siberian populations. Further tracking and genomic studies are needed to explore the origins and migratory connectivity of Bluethroats across Siberia and to locate the migratory divide.