Phenology, duration and site fidelity of wintering bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) at Eilat, Israel

Between 1984 and 2002, a total of 7643 Bluethroats were ringed and 1054 of these were re-captured at the International Birding and Research Center (IBRCE) in Eilat, Israel (29°33′N, 34°57′E). The autumn migration of Bluethroat begins in September and ends in early December (median 01-Nov). The spring migration starts in early March and continues till May (median 21-Mar). Wintering Bluethroats arrive during October and November and stay in Eilat until March and April. The Bluethroats remain at the winter quarters for up to 4 months, though some individuals could linger for as long as more than 5 months. The majority of the wintering population was males (65.3%) and adult birds (66.1%), the sex ratio during winter (65:35) did not differ significantly from the sex ratio during autumn migration (60:40). The ratio between young and adult birds at Eilat during winter (66:34) differed significantly from the autumn migration (75:25). Wintering site fidelity for six seasons (consecutive autumn through spring) from 1996 to 2001 was 1.8%. Wintering site fidelity of Bluethroats when compared between birds that winter for the second and third season shows a recovery rate of 37.1%.