Satellite tracking reveals a new migration route of black-necked cranes ( Grus nigricollis ) in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

PeerJ

article

Ye Wang¹  Chunrong Mi²  Yumin Guo¹ 

[1] Beijing Forestry University, School of Ecology and Nature Conservation;Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology

关键词: Black-necked crane;    Migration route;    Qinghai-Tibet Plateau;    Satellite tracking;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.9715

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis) is a vulnerable species and the only species that lives in the plateau. Five migration routes of different populations have been identified, but for cranes wintering in Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibet, the migration route and breeding/summering area are still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the spatio-temporal migration patterns of black-necked cranes in this area and to identify important areas for conservation.MethodsIn 2016, we fitted seven black-necked cranes in Nyingchi with GPS-GSM satellite transmitters to record their migration routes. We used ArcGIS 10.2 to visualize important stopover sites and the ‘ggplot’ function in R to analyze the migration patterns.Results85 % of the fly points), and 81 % (17/21) of all stopover and roosting sites were in the valley or at lakeside swamps. Only 17.7% (516 / 2,914) of the data points for stopover and roosting sites were in protected areas.Main conclusionsOur study revealed the breeding/summering areas and migration routes of the black-necked cranes wintering in Nyingchi. These results contribute to a better understanding of the annual spatio-temporal migration patterns and the development of conservation plans for this vulnerable species.

【 授权许可】

CC BY