Distribution throughout the annual cycle Clause Samples

Distribution throughout the annual cycle. The Long-tailed Duck is a long-distance migrant that breeds predominantly in Arctic freshwater habitats, moving to marine areas, mostly to the south, for the non-breeding season. It is, however, very tolerant of cold winter conditions and can overwinter far to the north if sea ice conditions allow. It has a circumpolar breeding distribution and within the African-Eurasian region it breeds predominantly in Russia, with smaller populations in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Greenland. Information on movements is mostly lacking, but existing data suggest that most birds breeding in Greenland and Iceland overwinter around the coasts of those countries, with smaller numbers moving south to Faroe Islands, Britain and Ireland. Some Greenland breeding birds also move southwest to Newfoundland. The West Siberia/North Europe population moves predominantly to the south and west, with the vast majority breeding in western Russia and overwintering in the Baltic Sea, but possibly also wintering around Iceland and Greenland. Small numbers also overwinter in the Barents Sea, close to the Kola Peninsula, the northern Black Sea, and the northern Caspian Sea. Those breeding in Scandinavia are thought more likely to move west to the North Sea and North Atlantic (mostly along the coast of Norway). Concentrations of moulting birds, mostly males, form at a number of Arctic locations, including three key sites in the Pechora Sea: i) Nenetsky State Reserve, ii) Russky Zavorot peninsula, and iii) Khaipudirskaya Bay. Light grey stippling indicates the breeding area, dark grey indicates regularly used wintering and staging areas3. The breeding range in Russia is large, extending eastwards from the Kola Pensinsula north of approximately 66°N, including Novaya Zemlya but not including ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Land (▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 2013), as far as central Taymyr Peninsula (▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ pers. comm.), at approximately 95°E. This is a greater eastwards extent than indicated by ▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇ (1996) who show the eastern extent of the breeding range to be western Taymyr Peninsula at approximately 89°E. There is uncertainty regarding the delineation of Long-tailed Ducks breeding further east in the eastern Taymyr Peninsula; Isakov (1952) speculated that Long-tailed Ducks from eastern Taymyr may well migrate west, as do Common Scoter Melanitta nigra and Velvet Scoter ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇ breeding in this region, but the data are lacking. West of the Kola Peninsula, breeding occurs in northern Finland, with occasional bre...