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Flexibility in the face of climate change? A rapid and dramatic shift toward later spring migration in Hudsonian godwits (Limosa haemastica)

Puleo, Lauren1; Huang, Feipeng1; Stager, Maria1; Senner, Nathan1

Published Jun 09, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.12jm63z90

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Abstract

With rapid environmental change, shifts in migration timing are vitally important for maintaining population stability in migratory species and have been widely documented. However, little remains known about how migrants make these shifts and what factors influence the utilization of these strategies, limiting our ability to assess their vulnerability to climate change. Hudsonian godwits (Limosa haemastica) are an extreme long-distance migratory shorebird that (1) have previously shifted their population-level migration timing and (2) are sexually dimorphic. We combined over a decade of tracking data from one breeding population with a historical predictive model to assess on-going shifts in migration timing and investigate potential sex-specific migration strategies. We found that godwit departure and arrival timing shifted 6 days later from 2010-2023 with no differences in timing between the sexes. The population maintained an average migratory duration of 24 days and drove shifts in arrival timing entirely by changing their nonbreeding ground departure. Yet, we also found that godwits arrived later than predicted by the historical model, indicating this response may not be adaptive. These results emphasize the urgent need for a more holistic approach to assessing the vulnerability of migratory species and the adaptiveness of changes in migration timing.