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RESEARCH PRODUCT

The Usefulness of Biometrics for the Study of Avian Connectivity within Europe. A Case Study with BlackcapsSylvia atricapillain Spain

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Summary. The use of biometrics in studies of migratory connectivity is still relatively infrequent in Europe. This is partly due to the fact that biometrics is a less accurate tool when compared to ringing recovery data, or such techniques as stable isotope analyses, use of geolocators or satellite telemetry. Combination with one of these (recovery data) allows us to test the usefulness of biometrics in connectivity analyses, as well as to evaluate/quantify the influence of migratory behaviour on phenotypic traits such as flight morphology. We used historical recovery data, together with flight morphology data obtained from a consistent collection protocol during a three-year ringing programme carried out at seven sites in Spain (within the eastern half of Iberia), to test the usefulness of flight morphology for analysing spatio-temporal distribution patterns of migrants at a population scale. Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla were used as our avian model. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) whether migrant blackc...