Global rising temperatures due to recent climate change have been linked to long-term reductions in body mass and wing chord in migratory birds, including raptors. The Arctic is experiencing higher temperatures compared to the global mean and such high-latitude increases could influence the morphometrics of the tundra-breeding Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus). Linear regression models showed no statistically significant changes in body mass or wing chords in migratory juvenile male and female Rough-legged Hawks captured and banded across 48 years at Duluth, Minnesota, 1973–2020. Captures of Rough-legged Hawks at our migration stations provided a relatively expedient means by which to monitor possible climate-induced long-term changes in morphometrics of an Arctic species that is difficult to sample in inaccessible tundra settings.
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27 April 2022
Are there changes in morphometrics of migratory juvenile Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus) in north-central North America?
Robert N. Rosenfield,
David L. Evans,
Terry P. Wiens,
Paul N. Frater
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Arctic
body condition
climate change
irruptive movements
soaring flight