Аңдатпа
Summary The Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis is a globally threatened migratory species that faces increasing pressures from habitat loss and climate change along its flyway between Siberia and the Black Sea. This study presents detailed insights into the annual migratory patterns of the species based on GPS telemetry data collected between May 2019 and February 2023. We tracked 41 individuals fitted with GPS transmitters, of which 23 provided data spanning at least one full migratory season. The resulting dataset of over 150,000 GPS positions revealed fine-scale patterns of seasonal movement across a total area of 3.6 million km 2 . There was a nearly equal temporal division among seasonal phases. At the population level, the spring and autumn migration windows lasted 96 and 97 days, respectively, while individual completed journeys averaged 93.0 days in spring and 98.3 days in autumn. Migration pathways featured distinct, non-overlapping spatial corridors and key staging areas identified in northern Kazakhstan and the Orenburg region of Russia. Red-breasted Geese travelled an average of 17,725 km annually, with peak movement in April–May and September–November. Wintering birds occupied three discrete core areas within a larger wintering extent (116,751 km 2 ): coastal Romania (with adjacent areas in Bulgaria and Ukraine), the Sivash area in Crimea, and the Veselovskoie region in southern Russia. The data also enabled inferences about breeding success and moulting periods, confirming high breeding site philopatry and no evidence of major previously undocumented wintering areas. The findings directly supported conservation planning, including the designation of temporary hunting restrictions in priority staging areas. This study highlights the conservation value of GPS tracking for delineating core and critical seasonal habitats, assessing threats, and informing flyway-scale management strategies essential for the long-term survival of the Red-breasted Goose and other long-distance migratory waterbirds.