Role of Temperature during Spring Migration of the European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola (Linnaeus, 1766) (Ayes: Muscicapidae) in NW Croatia

Average global air temperature continues to increase and this warming has been linked to numerous different aspects worldwide, having strong effect on ecosystems. During the past few decades, birds have shown significant changes in their phenology, morphology, demography, etc. I analysed long-term changes in first arrival date of the European stonechat during the period 1980-2016 in north-western Croatia. As spring air temperature increased, arrival date advanced significantly in the studied period. Over the past 37 years, the average arrival date of the European stonechat has advanced by 0.58 days per year. The relationship between spring arrival and temperature was significant. The results indicate that changes in spring migration may be linked to changes in local air spring temperature.