Migration and staging patterns of the Red-throated (Anthus cervinus) and Tree Pipits (Anthus trivialis) at the migratory bottleneck of Eilat, Israel

We studied the migration patterns of Red-throated (Anthus cervinus) and Tree Pipits (A. trivialis) ringed during 25 years at Eilat, Israel. The number of migrants was four times greater in spring than in autumn for the Tree Pipit but was similar for the Red-throated Pipit. Stop-over during the migration seasons was also different. Both young and old Redthroated Pipits used Eilat as a stop-over site at similar intensity during both seasons. However, most of the Tree Pipits in autumn were juveniles, but young and old individuals were almost equally abundant in spring. In both species, body-condition index was higher in autumn than in spring and was not related to the age of the birds. This finding illustrates differences in body condition before and after the crossing of the Saharo-Arabian desert belt.