Waterbirds are highly mobile, moving over large distances to access resources. Although consistent migration routes are observed in highly seasonal and predictable environments, movement patterns to utilize ephemeral resources in dryland environments are largely unknown. This makes conservation planning and water policy challenging as the relative importance of widely dispersed wetlands is difficult to rank. We addressed this challenge by combining a citizen science project with the novel application of X-ray fluorescence of feathers to detect continental scale movement of waterbirds using elemental signatures. By doing so, we gained important insight into the movements of 24 waterbird species, including the significance of the Murray–Darling basin as a key source of waterbirds across the continent. Our approach highlights the benefits of elemental signatures to identify key areas of habitat use and priorities for wetland management.

中文翻译：

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使用羽毛绘制大陆尺度的水鸟运动和湿地重要性

水鸟的移动性很强，可以远距离移动以获取资源。尽管在高度季节性和可预测的环境中观察到一致的迁徙路线，但在旱地环境中利用短暂资源的运动模式在很大程度上是未知的。这使得保护规划和水政策具有挑战性，因为分布广泛的湿地的相对重要性难以排序。我们通过将一项公民科学项目与羽毛的 X 射线荧光的新应用相结合来解决这一挑战，以使用元素特征检测水鸟的大陆尺度运动。通过这样做，我们对 24 种水鸟物种的活动有了重要的了解，包括墨累-达令盆地作为整个大陆水鸟的主要来源的重要性。