Range expansion of Far Eastern bird species in the Amur region, Russian Far East

Mr László Bozó¹, Mr Wieland Heim², Mr Tibor Csörgő³

¹Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Budapest, Hungary, ²Münster University, Institute of Landscape Ecology, Münster, Germany, ³Department of Anatomy, Cell- and Developmental Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

Abstract:

Speculations that the northward spread of southern bird species is due to climate change are difficult to substantiate. There is a wide range of potentially confounding factors that might also affect bird distributions, even if some studies from North America and Europe indicates that species’ distributions are shifting poleward in response to climate change. Our study site, the Muraviovka Park is located in the Russian Far East, with continental climate. A trend towards warmer spring temperatures is observed since the 19 century, however, the increase during the past 30 years was much higher. There are field observation data available in the area from the previous decades, and our team has carried out bird ringing and field monitoring between 2011-2018. During this period 271 species were detected, of which 13 (Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis, Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus, Eurasian Collared-dove Streptopelia decaocto, Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker Dendrocopos hyperythrus, Ashy Minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus, Chinese Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone incei, Yellow-bellied Tit Pardaliparus venustulus, Asian Stubtail Urosphena squameiceps, Pale-legged Leaf-warbler Phylloscopus tenellipes, Chestnut-flanked White-eye Zosterops erythropleurus, Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris, Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola) were recorded for the first time or might have increased compared to previous decades. Most of these species have southern distribution area. Climate change might have contributed to this range shifts, and many more species are likely to occur north of their known range in the future.

Biography:

I’m professional bird ringer since 2013, however, I started my researches related to the birds in 2007. I live in Hungary, and my main interest is the passerine migration. Additionally, I also study a bird community in a Natura 2000 marshland site and the wintering birds of a small lake in SE Hungary. During these field works I collected app. 50000 data of birds. In 2016, I founded an own bird ringing camp in SE Hungary, and since that date I ringed more than 5200 individuals of 59 species on a channel-sided alley. Based on these data, I was able to describe the importance of these habitats on the bird migration.

In 2011, when I was 20 years old, I was attended in an international expedition in Russia, river Lena, and since then I’m dealing with the migration and distribution of Siberian passerines. The main focus is on the genus Phylloscopus, Locustella and Acrocephalus. After my first expedition, I visited the Muravivoka park (this is the main study area of Amur Bird Project) and the Baikal Bird Ringing Stations. So far I visited four time these bird ringing stations, and three times I was the head ringer.

From 2017, I’m a PhD student of the University of Eötvös Loránd (Migration of Siberian passerines). During my field work, I have clearly observed the effects of climate change on the appearance of species outside there distribution area, so I also collected data in this regard.

I’m also interesting in historical bird data.