![]() In wetlands, the distribution of surface water is one of the main determinants of species’ spatial distribution 6, 7, 8 and individual movements 9, 10. Changes in the environment can alter resource distribution, which consequently determines animal migratory 1, 2, 3 and, local, movements 4, 5. One of the key challenges in ecology is to understand how environmental fluctuations drive animal movements. Our study highlights the need to understand the movements of Shoebills throughout their life cycle to design successful conservation actions for this emblematic, yet poorly known, species. We hypothesise that the different responses to changes in surface water by immature and adult Shoebills are related to age-specific optimal foraging conditions and fishing techniques. However, there were no differences in NDWI of areas used by Shoebills before abandonment and newly selected sites, suggesting that Shoebills select areas with similar surface water. Immature and adult Shoebills responded differently to changes in surface water sites that adults abandoned became drier, while sites abandoned by immatures became wetter. However, average annual home ranges were large, with high individual variability, but were similar between age classes. We show that Shoebills stay in the Bangweulu Wetlands all year round, moving less than 3 km per day on 81% of days. We relate their movements at the start of the rainy season (October to December) to changes in Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), a proxy for surface water. Using GPS transmitters deployed on six immature and one adult Shoebills over a 5-year period, during which four immatures matured into adults, we analyse their home ranges and distances moved in the Bangweulu Wetlands, Zambia. ![]() This study is the first to examine the movements of Shoebills ( Balaeniceps rex), an iconic and vulnerable bird species. For wetland specialists, the seasonal availability of surface water may be a major determinant of their movement patterns. Animal movement is mainly determined by spatial and temporal changes in resource availability.
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