Ardea
Official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists' Union

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Nowakowski J.K. & Vahatalo A.V. (2003) Is the Great Tit Parus major an irruptive migrant in north-east Europe? ARDEA 91 (2): 231-243
Trapping data from six ringing stations on the east coast of the Baltic Sea were used to study fluctuations in the numbers of migrating Great Tits Parus major. In the years 1971-97, the number of autumn migrating Great Tits was typically found to fluctuate less than those of partial migrants, but similarly to those of obligatory migrants at Hanko (Finland), Kabli (Estonia) and Neringa (Lithuania). The numbers of Great Tits at Mierzeja Wislana (Poland) fluctuated more than those at the northern stations but far less than numbers among irruptive species. We found no significant correlation between the intensity of migration and: the share of young birds, the share of males and the distance between wintering grounds and ringing stations. Nor were the numbers of migrating Great Tits found to correlate significantly with the crop of beechnuts in the species' wintering area the preceding autumn. We also compared data gathered over 20 years concerning the breeding populations of 20 bird species in Bialowieia National Park, eastern Poland. Numbers of breeding Great Tits were stable (like those of obligatory migrants), in contrast with the strongly fluctuating irruptive populations of Coal Tits Parus ater and Great Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos major. Overall, the results indicate that Great Tits behave like regular partial migrants, with the migration in northern and eastern Europe not being affected by the crop of beechnuts in the wintering area


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