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Older Pied Avocets Used More Varied Movement Strategies Than Young Birds

A pied avocet flying low over a wetland
Research · Behaviour

Older pied avocets (Recurvirostra avosetta) used more varied movement strategies than young birds in a satellite-tracking study from eastern China. The result runs counter to the common expectation that migratory routes become narrower and more fixed as birds gain experience.

Researchers fitted transmitters to 48 adults and 20 juveniles captured at four breeding sites in the Bohai region. They analysed movements recorded from 2021 to 2024 and compared first-year birds, second-year birds and adults at least three years old. All tracked birds migrated, but the two younger groups occupied a more restricted geographical range.

Young birds followed more conservative routes

Young birds mainly wintered in wetlands along the middle and lower Yangtze River and returned to the Bohai region to breed. Nine of 38 older adults travelled farther south to China’s southern coast, while some adults moved much farther north during the breeding season. The most northerly track reached 50°N, compared with an adult average near 39.5°N.

Age also shaped movements within seasons

Age also affected movement within seasons. Older adults shifted an average of 384 kilometres during winter and 323 kilometres during the breeding period. The corresponding averages were 102 and 146 kilometres for first-year birds, and 68 and 111 kilometres for second-year birds. First-year birds also occupied smaller areas before autumn migration and began their northward journey about a month later than older birds. Total migration distance did not differ significantly among the age groups.

The authors suggest that conservative movement may reduce risks during the first years of life, while experienced adults can afford to explore new areas. A mixture of conservative and exploratory individuals could help the population respond to changing wetlands, but the study did not test whether this flexibility directly explains the species’ population growth. The age groups were not the same birds followed continuously through life, the second-year sample was small, and unequal tracking periods and data gaps may have added variation.

Sources and image credit

  1. Wu, Y., Lei, W., Zhang, J., Zhao, C., He, J., Zhu, Z., Liu, Y., Liu, J., Chen, D., Ma, Z., Amano, T., Zhang, M., Zhang, Z., & Fuller, R. A. (2026). When experience breeds variability: Age-dependent movement diversity in a successful shorebird. Movement Ecology, 14, 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-026-00638-wPrimary peer-reviewed research article published 5 March 2026. Satellite tracking of 48 adults and 20 juveniles in eastern China from 2021 to 2024 found greater movement variability and within-season ranging in older pied avocets, while total migration distance did not differ significantly among age groups.

Image: pjt56 — pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) in the Venetian Lagoon, Italy, photographed 7 June 2013; Wikimedia Commons; representative species image, not one of the birds tracked in eastern China · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

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