High-altitude flight in Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus inferred from GPS tracking and ERA5 wind-field data
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30456/avo.30339Parole chiave:
Flight speed, GPS tracking, Migration, Wading birds, Wind assistanceAbstract
Comprendere in che modo gli uccelli migratori adattino il loro comportamento di volo per far fronte alle sfide ambientali è fondamentale per individuare i limiti delle loro prestazioni in volo. I Cavalieri d’Italia Himantopus himantopus sono considerati migratori a media distanza, ma la loro quota di volo non è stata studiata in dettaglio. In questo studio abbiamo esaminato il potenziale impiego del volo ad alta quota in questa specie analizzando le tracce GPS di due individui e combinando le velocità al suolo osservate con i profili verticali del vento derivati dai dati di rianalisi ERA5. In diversi segmenti, gli uccelli hanno raggiunto velocità al suolo nettamente superiori alla velocità massima di autonomia prevista (Vmr = 50 km/h); questo, insieme a condizioni favorevoli di vento in coda alle quote più elevate, suggerisce che possano aver volato tra i 2000 e i 7200 m. Questi risultati sono coerenti con la possibilità di voli migratori ad alta quota in H. himantopus, una strategia che potrebbe contribuire a ridurre il costo del trasporto o a evitare condizioni avverse al livello del suolo. Sono necessari ulteriori studi che combinino il tracciamento GPS con misurazioni dirette della quota di volo, al fine di confermare tali pattern e valutarne la generalità nelle diverse popolazioni.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Samuel Pinya Fernández
Questo lavoro è fornito con la licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Condividi allo stesso modo 4.0.
Accettato 2026-05-06
Pubblicato 2026-07-15
