Arizaga J., Mendiburu A., Alonso D., Cuadrado J.F., Jauregi J.I. & Sánchez J.M. (2010) Common Kingfishers Alcedo atthis along the coast of northern Iberia during the autumn migration period. ARDEA 98 (2): 161-167

Iberia receives many dispersing, migrating and wintering Common Kingfishers Alcedo atthis. The majority of these individuals occur in coastal marshes. Relatively little is known about how Kingfishers use these areas. Between August and mid-October 2007 and 2008, Kingfishers were mist-netted at a tidal marsh in Txingudi, northern Iberia. They were especially abundant from August to September, indicating that Txingudi receives an influx of birds dispersing from nearby natal areas or migrants from further north. The population mainly consisted of juveniles (only 5.8% adults), the sex ratio was 1:1 and the timing of passage was similar between the sexes. Body mass (corrected for body size) tended to be constant with time. The staying probability and the probability of having been present before being caught were affected by sex, date (month of first capture) and body mass (corrected for body size). Females with body mass (corrected for body size) values below 0.45 g/mm were more likely to remain for longer than those with higher body mass, but the opposite was observed for males. Kingfishers captured in August were more likely to be already settled in the area than those first captured in September. Moreover, birds with short stopovers systematically lost mass, while birds that remained in the area for longer did not. These findings are discussed in the light of possible competition between newly arriving and already settled birds.