Three million ringed birds on the Curonian Spit (Baltic area) and ten thousand results on their migration routes: a brief overview, statistics and examples

Over six decades of bird ringing on the Curonian Spit, spanning from 1956 to 2020, has yielded unprecedented data, with 3.2 million birds from 202 species ringed and over 10,000 reports of distant recoveries for 99 species. This extensive dataset provides critical insights into migration routes along the White Sea-Baltic flyway, revealing patterns in migratory connectivity, population dynamics, and demographic trends. Despite its significance, this research was notably excluded from the Eurasian-African Bird Migration Atlas due to non-scientific reasons. The study highlights the effectiveness of ringing as a tool for tracking long-distance migrants while also addressing challenges such as declining recovery rates. It underscores the importance of long-term monitoring in understanding migratory behavior and population changes.

Payevsky, V. A., & Shapoval, A. P. (2025). Three million ringed birds on the Curonian Spit (Baltic area) and ten thousand results on their migration routes: a brief overview, statistics and examples. Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS, 329(2), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.31610/trudyzin/2025.329.2.77