Geolocator tracking and ring recoveries reveal the migration of Siberian Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica tytleri

Abstract The Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica exhibits diverse migration behaviours across its extensive breeding range. While most of the migratory subspecies have been tracked with geolocators, information is lacking for Siberian Barn Swallows H. r. tytleri . Based on one geolocator-tracked individual breeding at Lake Baikal, Russia, and complemented with ring-recovery data, we show that Siberian Barn Swallows migrate east of the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau towards wintering grounds in mainland South-east Asia. This migration route distinguishes them from other tracked Asian Barn Swallow populations, which either migrate (south)westward to Africa or India or southward to South-east Asian islands. Notably, the geolocator-tracked Siberian Barn Swallow employed a direct route, likely traversing high mountain ranges during migration, without the detour through eastern China observed in other songbirds migrating from northern to south-eastern Asia. We propose that the Barn Swallow’s efficient flight capabilities enable it to overcome geographical barriers that impede other landbirds.