Timing of spring arrival of the Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) in Ukraine

Timing of spring arrival of the Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) in Ukraine. - V.N. Grishchenko. - Berkut. 34 (1). 2025. - I summarized and analyzed data from various sources for the period 1956–2025 (in total 354 first arrival dates). The frequency diagram for the entire data set has a left-sided asymmetry, the distribution differs from normal. The mean value of the sample was March 31 (30.9 ± 0.5), median – April 2, standard deviation – 10.2 days. The main arrival period was from March 23 to April 12. These days accounted for 2% or more of the registrations of the first birds, from March 29 to April 9 – more than 3% every day, from March 30 to April 7 – more than 4%. The maximum frequencies were for April 3 (5.7%), April 2 (5.4%) and March 30 (5.1%). Regional differences in the arrival times of the Black-tailed Godwit in Ukraine are well expressed, which is associated with the peculiarities of the course of spring migration. According to long-term data, the earliest arrival of the first birds is observed in the Crimea and Odessa region. A little later – in other southern regions: from Mykolaiv to Donetsk. Early arrival was also noted in the north-west of the country – in Volyn and Lviv regions. In other regions, godwits arrive on average during the first decade of April. There is no reliable linear trend in the average annual arrival dates over the 50-year period (1976–2025). A significant positive correlation was found between them and the NAO index for April (r = 0.34, p < 0.05) and a negative correlation with the average index value for January – March (r = –0.33, p < 0.05). [Ukrainian].