MIGRATION AND MOLT OF DUNLIN CALIDRIS-ALPINA WINTERING IN THE CENTRALMEDITERRANEAN

Dunlin migration in northeast Italy is described. An attempt to identi fy the main routes and staging areas used by birds wintering in the ce ntral Mediterranean is presented. The results of monthly counts from 1 990-1995 revealed that the bulk of the population occupied the winteri ng area in October and left for the breeding grounds in April and May. The analysis of 342 Italian recoveries of foreign ringed birds showed that 65% were ringed during post-breeding migration through the Balti c Sea, whereas just a few birds had been ringed in western Europe. Fir st-year birds arrived in autumn with a single migratory wave, peaking in October Two categories of adults were identified during post-breedi ng migration: birds which directly reached Italian wintering sites and birds which arrived after they had suspended their migration for moul ting: the Azov/Black Sea wetlands are suggested as possible moulting a reas. Out of 2444 adults and 1627 first-years ringed between 1989 and 1996 at our study area, we obtained a total of 42 recoveries abroad an d evidence of direct links between Azov/Black Sea and N Adriatic wetla nds, both during autumn and spying migrations. Primary moult was obser ved only in adults arriving early the second migratory wave being comp osed of moulted birds. Locally moulting adults adopted a moult strateg y characterized by high raggedness scores, typical of resident moulter s. Body mass was not affected by primary moult stage or intensity, win ter mass values being reached two weeks after the average date of prim ary moult completion.