MIGRALIGHT: effects of urbanisation and artificial light at night on the migration of a nocturnal bird

The itinerant lifestyle of migratory species makes them especially vulnerable to changes in environmental conditions.

Understanding how migratory species respond to human-induced changes in the environment is nowadays of paramount importance to conserve migratory species and the diversity of migratory behaviours. In particular, urbanisation and artificial light at night (ALAN) could have important impacts on migratory species.

Urbanisation changes environmental harshness, potentially offering new wintering areas with milder temperatures and higher food availability for migratory species.

ALAN modifies the airspace over which individuals migrate, potentially fragmenting the sky and generating barriers for airborne migratory animals.

Understanding how these two anthropogenic factors affect migration and its population consequences are now essential to anticipate the response of migratory species to anthropogenic global change.

Combining expertise from the Swiss Ornithological Institute (Switzerland) and Doñana Biological Station (Spain), this interdisciplinary project will investigate how urbanisation and ALAN affect long-distance bird migration and the evolutionary implications of such effects.

Specifically, this project will (i) identify differences in migratory behaviour between urban and non-urban bird populations; (ii) test the effects of ALAN on migratory behaviour across a broad geographical range; and, (iii) determine the genetic population structure and connectivity of migratory populations exposed to varying levels of anthropogenic environmental pressure.

To address these questions, this project will use a long-distance migratory owl, the Scops owl (Otus scops), an ideal species to achieve the aims of this project.

The findings of this project have the potential to inform conservation plans for migratory species and the management of ALAN in cities.