Winter connectivity and leapfrog migration in a migratory passerine

Area of Science:

• Ornithology
• Population Genetics
• Ecology

Background:

• Migratory tracking reveals diverse avian migration patterns.
• Leapfrog migration is a pattern where northern breeders winter farther south.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) migration patterns using a genetic-based approach.
• To map migratory connectivity and identify leapfrog migration patterns.

Main Methods:

• Genomic analysis of 386 individuals from 25 breeding populations to create a genoscape.
• Genotyping of 230 samples from 31 stopover and 178 from 16 wintering locations.
• Assignment of migrating and wintering birds to genetically distinct groups.

Main Results:

• Identified four genetically distinct groups: Eastern, Southwestern, Louisiana, and Central.
• Central group birds wintered from Mexico to Panama, migrating via western Mexico or southern Texas.
• Louisiana group birds had a restricted wintering range in the Yucatan Peninsula and Central America.
• Confirmed leapfrog migration: birds wintering farther south had greater distances to their northern breeding grounds (p < .001).

Conclusions:

• Genoscape-based approaches effectively identify range-wide migratory connectivity patterns like leapfrog migration.
• Demonstrated distinct migratory routes and wintering grounds for different Painted Bunting populations.