Bird population dynamics: what does it reveal about bird population changes and why are long-distance migratory birds the most vulnerable to climate change?

Changes in bird populations are good reflection of what is happening with entire ecosystems; thanks to their popularity, birds have much better data coverage than other taxa. Therefore, understanding the factors and mechanisms affecting bird population declines and increases is crucial. Standardized bird ringing allows for even deeper insights by providing not only data on population sizes, but also on demography (breeding productivity, survival, recruitment), which gives us better understanding of the causes of population declines/increases. It also allows a detail study of e.g. the impact of recent antropogenic climate change on birds. Why is it the long-distance migratory birds (i.e. species migrating to sub-Saharan Africa for winter) who are the most vulnerable to climate change? What does the recent Atlas of Breeding Birds of Czech Republic tell us about patterns in spatial distribution of our birds? This seminar will be an introduction of my research in bird population ecology.