Biology
Migratory Connectivity and Population Dynamics in Shorebirds
Quick fact
Shorebird populations are not homogeneous—individuals that winter at different sites may breed at the same site, meaning that threats at one wintering ground can selectively impact a subset of the breeding population, altering its demographics.
Why this is interesting
Every year, a bar-tailed godwit flies nonstop across the Pacific Ocean, but its epic journey begins not with wings—but with a tiny worm on a mudflat thousands of kilometers away. How does the fate of one beach ripple through an entire population of shorebirds?