Open AccessFeather stable‐isotope profiles reveal stopover habitat selection and site fidelity in nine migratory species moving through sub‐Saharan Africa
Author(s) -
Yohannes Elizabeth,
Hobson Keith A.,
Pearson David J.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of avian biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.022
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1600-048X
pISSN - 0908-8857
DOI - 10.1111/j.2007.0908-8857.03927.x
Subject(s) - feather , habitat , biology , ecology , stable isotope ratio , isotope , isotope analysis , hydrogen isotope , isotopes of carbon , δ15n , zoology , δ13c , physics , quantum mechanics , total organic carbon
Stable nitrogen (δ 15 N), carbon (δ 13 C) and hydrogen (δD) isotope profiles in feathers of nine migratory bird species trapped in Kenya were examined to test the extent to which they were segregated, geographically or by habitat, during an earlier autumn migration stopover in northeast Africa. We examined whether isotopic differences between species varied between years, and whether the isotope profiles of individual species appeared to be consistent. The relationship between mean feather δ 13 C, δ 15 N and δD assorted the migrants into several clustered groups. Similar feather isotope values among successive years revealed that each species tended to return to the same or similar stopover areas and selected habitat and diet that generated similar isotopic signatures. Possible explanations are discussed for the existence of these isotopic groups.