The Project

The MigraTagis project - "Wintering and migrating shorebirds as indicators of the quality of estuarine environments" - took place between October 2008 and October 2011, and was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (proj. PTDC/MAR/66319/2006). The project was coordinated by Centro de Biologia Ambiental, and involved the Instituto de Oceanografia and Unidade de investigação em Eco-etologia as partners.

This project aimed to examine the key factors determining the use of tidal flats and high-tide roosts by shorebirds, particularly those that might negatively affect the carrying capacity of the estuary for these species. We were particularly interested in developing quantitative indicators of the quality of feeding areas and roosting sites for shorebirds. For this purpose, in addition to total number of birds and several performance measures, we used eco-physiological stress measurements in living birds (gluco-corticosteroid hormones). Also, we carried out a small- and meso-scale assessment of the main shorebirds’ prey, to obtain the maps of the distribution of invertebrates in the whole estuary. Finally, we performed the first studies about the actively migrating shorebirds using the Tagus estuary, aiming to achieve the first quantitative assessment of stopover parameters of shorebirds migrating through this internationally important wetland.