Migration and winter ranges of birds in Greenland An analysis of ringing recoveries PETER LYNGS More than 280000 birds have been ringed in Greenland since 1926, resulting in 15498 recoveries of 43 species. Additionally, 1947 birds of 45 species ringed abroad have been recovered in Greenland. Most of the recoveries are of species economically important in Greenland, such as eiders, auks and gulls. This paper presents an analysis of the entire Greenland recovery material, the first since 1967. The emphasis is on movements and winter ranges of different bird populations breeding or occurring in Greenland, but summarised information on known population sizes and distributions is also given. (Med et dansk resumé: Trækforhold og vinteropholdssteder for fugle i Grønland) 2 Migration and winter ranges of birds in Greenland Contents Introduction.................................................... 3 Sanderling Calidris alba................................ 67 The Greenland bird migration systems.......... 3 Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima.............. 70 The Greenland bird ringing system............... 5 Dunlin Calidris alpina................................... 71 The Greenland bird hunting legislation......... 6 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres............. 73 Material and methods.................................... 8 Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus... 77 Species accounts............................................ 12 Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus............. 77 Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata................. 12 Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus... 78 Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis............. 13 Great Skua Stercorarius skua......................... 78 Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis.................. 17 South Polar Skua Stercorarius maccormicki. 79 Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus............... 18 Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus............. 80 Northern Gannet Sula bassana...................... 18 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus......... 80 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo......... 18 Herring Gull Larus argentatus....................... 80 Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus.... 21 Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides....................... 80 White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons............ 24 Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus................. 87 Canada Goose Branta canadensis................. 29 Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus....... 90 Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis.................. 30 Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla....... 92 Brent Goose Branta bernicla......................... 34 Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea....................... 100 Teal Anas crecca............................................ 36 Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea....................... 101 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos.......................... 36 Common Guillemot Uria aalge..................... 105 Pintail Anas acuta.......................................... 37 Brünnich's Guillemot Uria lomvia................ 105 Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris................ 38 Razorbill Alca torda....................................... 120 Common Eider Somateria mollissima........... 38 Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle................... 121 King Eider Somateria spectabilis.................. 46 Little Auk Alle alle........................................ 127 Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus..... 51 Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica................. 129 Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis............ 52 Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe......... 129 Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator...... 53 Common Raven Corvus corax....................... 132 White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla......... 54 Mealy Redpoll Carduelis flammea................ 134 Merlin Falco columbarius............................. 55 Lapland Bunting Calcarius lapponicus......... 134 Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus............................ 55 Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis............ 136 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus................ 56 Acknowledgments......................................... 141 Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus mutus.................... 60 Dansk resumé................................................ 142 Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus.......... 61 References..................................................... 158 Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula.............. 61 Appendix....................................................... 167 Red Knot Calidris canutus............................ 63 Razorbill, Kippaku, Upernavik, W Greenland. Photo: P. Lyngs. The Greenland bird migration systems 3 Introduction In 1967 Finn Salomonsen – who organised and led ing need to extract and present the information in the Greenland bird ringing scheme for almost 33 the recovery data set. years – published the book Fuglene i Grønland This paper presents a mainly narrative analysis (Birds of Greenland). Much of the information of the 15498 recoveries of birds ringed in Green- was based on the 6700 recoveries of birds ringed land and the 1947 recoveries of birds ringed in Greenland available at that time. Since the book abroad and recovered in Greenland up to 2002. was published the number of recoveries has doub- Emphasis is placed upon the movements of diffe- led, but apart from a few papers dealing with sing- rent bird populations breeding or occurring in le species (e.g. Kampp et al. 1988, Kampp 1988, Greenland as shown by the recoveries, but recent 1991) very little of the material has been analysed. information on population sizes, distribution and As Greenland is presently facing increasing wild- movements shown by satellite telemetry is also life management problems, there has been a grow- summarised. The Greenland bird migration systems As a starter – before plunging into a myriad of On the other hand, large numbers of Brünnich's details – this section provides a broad overview of Guillemots chiefly originating from the NW Baf- the Greenland bird migration systems, based on the fin Bay of Canada also winter in the Open Water information extracted from the recoveries. For some Region, mostly in the northern parts. Likewise, species breeding in Greenland, e.g. Red-necked large numbers originating mainly from Svalbard, Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus, Sabine's Gull Larus Jan Mayen and Iceland winter primarily in the sabini and Snowy Owl Nyctea scandiaca, little or southern parts of the Open Water Region. Num- no information is available on their migration, and bers of Little Auks Alle alle from Svalbard and such species are not considered here. perhaps Jan Mayen and E Greenland also winter Species wintering or summering in Green- in the Open Water Region as do some Icelandic land. Ravens Corvus corax, Rock Ptarmigans La- Long-tailed Ducks. Unknown, but probably rela- gopus mutus and White-tailed Eagles Haliaeetus tively small numbers of predominantly young albicilla remain in Greenland all year (but may Glaucous Gulls from Svalbard and Jan Mayen still perform considerable movements) as do many winter in SE and SW Greenland. Most of the Com- Gyrfalcons Falco rusticolus. A number of seabird mon Eiders breeding in NE Canada from Hudson species breeding in W and NW Greenland winter Strait northwards also seem to winter in the Open in the Open Water Region (i.e. the coastal area be- Water Region, northern breeding birds apparently tween southern Disko Bay at 69ºN and Nanortalik wintering farther north in the Open Water Region at 60ºN) of SW Greenland: Great Cormorant than southern birds. Large numbers of King Eiders Phalacrocorax carbo, Mallard Anas platyrhyrn- Somateria spectabilis from the Canadian Arctic chos, diving ducks (Common Eider Somateria moult and winter in W Greenland. Many Purple mollissima, Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis Sandpipers Calidris maritima also winter in the and Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator), Open Water Region. Whether these include birds large gulls (Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides, Glau- from outside Greenland (i.e. Iceland), and whether cous Gull Larus hyperboreus and Great Black- some W Greenland birds winter elsewhere, is not backed Gull Larus marinus) and auks (Black known; the Purple Sandpiper has a complex mi- Guillemot Cepphus grylle, Common Guillemot gration system that is still poorly understood. Uria aalge, Brünnich's Guillemot Uria lomvia and Many birds from abroad summer in Greenland Razorbill Alca torda). Generally, northern breed- waters. Varying numbers of Great Shearwaters ers winter farther north than southern breeders. Puffinus gravis breeding in the South Atlantic However, perhaps as much as half the W Green- moult off the W and SE coast. A few imm. South land population of Brünnich's Guillemot and Polar Skuas Stercorarius maccormicki also reach maybe also Razorbill winters off Newfound- Greenland waters, while large numbers of mainly land/Nova Scotia on the Canadian coast, an area imm Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla that biogeographically could be considered as an from the entire European breeding range spend extension of the Open Water Region. most of the summer and early autumn along the W 4 Migration and winter ranges of birds in Greenland and SE coast. Great Skuas Stercorarius skua from (mainly birds breeding in NW Greenland and Iceland and the British Isles and large numbers of Canada) and northern Norway (mainly birds imm. Northern Fulmars from the eastern North At- breeding in NE Greenland). From there, they mi- lantic and the Canadian Arctic also occur in these grate directly to breeding grounds, birds breeding waters during summer. in the NW crossing the inland-ice. The