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Piersma, Prof. Theunis

Theunis Piersma is professor of Animal Ecology. Together with his international research team, he studies how the distribution and numbers of waders correlate to climate, food, predators, pathogens and their historical-genetic background. Research is being conducted within the Netherlands as well as in comparable ecosystems in Africa, Australia, North and South America and Asia.

Piersma also works as a Wadden biologist for the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) on the island of Texel. Piersma is one of the greatest advocates of conservation of the Wadden Sea. ‘Over the past twenty years, the ecological system of our last wilderness has been steadily destroyed.’

For the past years he has concentrated, inter alia, on population studies among black-tailed godwits. He is, for example, involved in a study that tracks godwits in their breeding grounds in Friesland and during their migration to and from southern Europe and Africa via a transmitter in their abdominal cavity. In 2023, Piersma showed that black-tailed godwit migration is learned, not innate. ‘The experiment clearly shows that genetics are not the decisive factor. These godwits mainly learn from their environment. They go to school, as it were.'

In 2014 Piersma was awarded a Spinoza Prize, also referred to as the 'Dutch Nobel Prize'. In 2017 he received a top British ornithology award, followed by the Godman Salvin Prize in 2020.

Piersma is one of the main researchers of the Watch Birds project (‘Waakvogels’), launched in 2023, which will spend five years collecting information on six species that visit the Wadden Sea. 'The migratory birds tell us something about the state of the Wadden Sea,' Piersma explains. By accurately measuring how these birds fare year after year, it is possible to study what the impact of climate change is, for example.

Discovering these kinds of trends requires long-term measurements of all kinds of factors. Monitoring these birds is a job too big for an ordinary research group. Moreover, they are migratory birds, so the areas where they winter and breed also play a role. Piersma therefore previously founded the research centre BirdEyes, housed in Leeuwarden. In this international centre for climate change research and education, the UG collaborates with the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), the University of Amsterdam and the Fryske Akademy.

BirdEyes uses, among other things, the 'big data' birds provide with transmitters. Using this technology on the backs and legs of birds, a large amount of data is released. This provides a lot of information about birds' living conditions.

Previously in the news

2024

Dorofeev, D., Ivanov, A., Khudyakova, E., Verkuil, Y., Piersma, T., & Meissner, W. (2024). Biometric variability and sexual size dimorphism in the Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris. The European Zoological Journal, 91(1), 64-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750263.2023.2293120
Piersma, T. (2024). De geest in het beest. Het zijn van Charles Foster. De Gids.
Hooijmeijer, J., Rakhimberdiev, E., van der Velde, E., Howison, R., Stessens, M., Kraamwinkel, C., Craft, T., Fokkema, R., Lagendijk, G., Ligtelijn, M., Onrust, J., Saarloos, A., Vansteelant, W., Belfin, O., Basting, S., Zijlstra, N., Verkuil, Y., & Piersma, T. (2024). Grutto Landschap Project Jaarverslag Jaarverslag 2023: De staat van ons landschap: Biomonitoring van duurzame landbouw innovaties . University of Groningen.
Piersma, T. (2024). Marathon migrants: What we've learnt about Red Knots and Bar-tailed Godwits since 1973. In P. Prokosch (Ed.), The East Atlantic Flyway of Coastal Birds: 50 Years of Exciting Moments in Nature Conservation and Research Lynx Nature Books.
Ersoy, S., Beardsworth, C. E., Duran, E., van der Meer, M. T. J., Piersma, T., Groothuis, T. G. G., & Bijleveld, A. I. (2024). Pathway for personality development: Juvenile red knots vary more in diet and exploratory behaviour than adults. Animal Behaviour, 208, 31-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.11.018
Lemrabott, S., van Leeuwen, A., Piersma, T., Braham, C.-B., Ball, A. C., Araujo, A., Olff, H., & El-Hacen, H. (2024). The chronology of overfishing in a remote West-African coastal ecosystem. Ecology and Society, 29(1), Article 9. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-13902-290109

2023

Bom, R. A., Piersma, T., Alves, J. A., & Rakhimberdiev, E. (2024). Global temperature homogenization can obliterate temporal isolation in migratory animals with potential loss of population structure. Global Change Biology, 30(1), Article e17069. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17069
Ma, Z., Choi, C. Y., Gan, X., Li, J., Liu, Y., Melville, D. S., Mu, T., Piersma, T., & Zhang, Z. (2023). Achievements, challenges, and recommendations for waterbird conservation in China's coastal wetlands. Avian Research, 14, Article 100123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100123
Peng, H. B., Ma, Z., Rakhimberdiev, E., van Gils, J. A., Battley, P. F., Rogers, D. I., Choi, C. Y., Wu, W., Feng, X., Ma, Q., Hua, N., Minton, C., Hassell, C. J., & Piersma, T. (2023). Arriving late and lean at a stopover site is selected against in a declining migratory bird population. Journal of Animal Ecology, 92(10), 2109-2118. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14001
Hooijmeijer, J., Piersma, T., Hotting, M., Tijsen, W., de Vries, J. J., Jager, K. D., Brandhorst, W., Jong, J. D., Zijlstra, B., & van Eerden, A. (2023). Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) in southern Iberia, habitat description and finding colour marked birds from 1 – 26 February 2023: Portugal (Sado, Tejo & Algarve), Spain (Doñana & Extremadura). University of Groningen.
Vansteelant, W., Piersma, T., & Hooijmeijer, J. (2023). Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) in southern Spain, habitat description and finding colour marked birds from 5 – 13 October 2023: Doñana, Bonanza, Algaida, Brazo del Este, Marismas de Cetina & Odiel. University of Groningen.
Piersma, T., Koolhaas, A., van Gils, J. A., & Dekinga, A. (2023). Cause for caution: Response to Forum Contribution by van der Meer and Folmer. Journal of Applied Ecology, 60(11), 2494-2496. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14500
Ma, Z., Choi, C. Y., Gan, X., Li, J., Liu, Y., Melville, D. S., Mu, T., Piersma, T., & Zhang, Z. (2023). Corrigendum to “Achievements, challenges, and recommendations for waterbird conservation in China's coastal wetlands” [Avian Res. 14 (2023) 100123] (Avian Research (2023) 14, (S205371662300049X), (10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100123)). Avian Research, 14, Article 100133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100133
Navedo, J. G., & Piersma, T. (2023). Do 50-year-old Ramsar criteria still do the best possible job? A plea for broadened scientific underpinning of the global protection of wetlands and migratory waterbirds. Conservation Letters, 16(2), Article e12941. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12941
Nightingale, J., Gill, J. A., Gunnarsson, T. G., Rocha, A. D., Howison, R., Hooijmeijer, J. C. E. W., Piersma, T., & Alves, J. A. (2023). Does early spring arrival lead to early nesting in a migratory shorebird? Insights from remote tracking. IBIS – International Journal of Ornithology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.13268
El-Hacen, H., Lemrabott, S. Y., Meijer, K., Piersma, T., Govers, L., van Gils, J., & Olff, H. (2023). Growth and population structure of bloody cockles Senilia senilis at Banc d’Arguin and Bijagós with different environmental conditions and harvesting regimes. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 710, 71-83. Article M 14291. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14291
Hooijmeijer, J., Piersma, T., Howison, R., Li, Y., Craft, T., Barba Escoto, L., Stessens, M., Rakhimberdiev, E., van der Velde, E., Veenstra, R., Kraamwinkel, C., Onrust, J., Haan, de, W., Fokkema, R., Ligtelijn, M., Lagendijk, G., Keuning, T., & Wildschut, R. (2023). Grutto Landschap Project Jaarverslag 2022: De staat van ons landschap: Biomonitoring van duurzame landbouw innovaties. University of Groningen.
Movalli, P., Biesmeijer, K., Gkotsis, G., Alygizakis, N., Nika, M. C., Vasilatos, K., Kostakis, M., Thomaidis, N. S., Oswald , P., Oswaldova, M., Slobodnik, J., Glowacka, N., Hooijmeijer, J., Howison, R., Dekker, R. W. R. J., van den Brink, N., & Piersma, T. (2023). High resolution mass spectrometric suspect screening, wide-scope target analysis of emerging contaminants and determination of legacy pollutants in adult black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa limosa in the Netherlands: A pilot study. Chemosphere, 321, Article 138145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138145
Carneiro, C., Gunnarsson, T. G., Kaasiku, T., Piersma, T., & Alves, J. A. (2023). Icelandic Whimbrel first migration: Non-stop until West Africa, yet later departure and slower travel than adults. Ibis. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.13282
Peng, H. B., Choi, C. Y., Ma, Z., Bijleveld, A. I., Melville, D. S., & Piersma, T. (2023). Individuals of a group-living shorebird show smaller home range overlap when food availability is low. Movement Ecology, 11(1), Article 70. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-023-00427-9
Li, Y., Piersma, T., Hooijmeijer, J. C. E. W., & Howison, R. A. (2023). Land‐use intensity impacts habitat selection of ground‐nesting farmland birds in the Netherlands. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 4(1), Article e12201. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12201
Piersma, T. (2023). Marathon-Migranten: Was wir seit 1973 über Knutts und Pfuhlschnepfen gelernt haben. In P. Prokosch (Ed.), Die Ostatlantische Vogelzugroute: Spannende Einblicke in die Zugstrategien und den Schutz von Küstenvögeln (pp. 73-84). AULA-Verlag Wiebelsheim.
Bom, R., Lindström, Å., & Piersma, T. (2023). Predation danger during active migration: Insights from a tagged Bar-tailed Godwit depredated by a breeding Peregrine Falcon. Wader Study, 130, 78–81. https://doi.org/10.18194/ws.00294
Zhu, B.-R., Verhoeven, M., Hassell, C. J., Leungh, K. K.-S., Dorofeev, D., Zhang, Z., & Piersma, T. (2023). Predicting the non-breeding distributions of the two Asian subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit using morphological information. Avian Research, 14, Article 100069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avrs.2022.100069
Lok, T., van der Geest, M., Bom, R. A., de Goeij, P., Piersma, T., & Bouten, W. (2023). Prey ingestion rates revealed by back-mounted accelerometers in Eurasian spoonbills. Animal Biotelemetry, 11(1), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-022-00315-w
van der Winden, J., Van Horssen, P. W., Deuzeman, S., & Piersma, T. (2023). Remnant Rhine delta population of Great Reed Warblers maintains high diversity in migration timing, stopping sites, and winter destinations. Bird Conservation International, 33, 1-6. Article e77. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270923000321
Diallo, A. Y., Piersma, T., van Eerden, A., Ndiaye, S., & Ndiaye, P. I. (2023). Seasonal occurrence and daytime behaviour of Eurasian Spoonbills Platalea leucorodia leucorodia in Senegal’s Atlantic coastal areas. Waterbirds, 45(2), 199-205. https://doi.org/10.1675/063.045.0210
Chan, Y. C., Chan, D. T. C., Tibbitts, T. L., Hassell, C. J., & Piersma, T. (2023). Site fidelity of migratory shorebirds facing habitat deterioration: Insights from satellite tracking and mark-resighting. Movement Ecology, 11(1), Article 79. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-023-00443-9
Jukema, J., van de Wetering, H., Gutiérrez, J. S., & Piersma, T. (2023). Slight sexual dimorphism in tail-fork depth of Common Swifts Apus apus. Ringing and Migration, 38(1-2), 25-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/03078698.2023.2262804
Folmer, E. O., Bijleveld, A. I., Holthuijsen, S., van der Meer, J., Piersma, T., & van der Veer, H. W. (2023). Space–time analyses of sediment composition reveals synchronized dynamics at all intertidal flats in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 285, Article 108308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2023.108308
Piersma, T., & El-Hacen, H. (2023). To see, hear and speak: How counts of birds in individual trees help address the environmental causes of the Sahel. Ardea, 111.
Loonstra, A. H. J., Verhoeven, M. A., Both, C., & Piersma, T. (2023). Translocation of shorebird siblings shows intraspecific variation in migration routines to arise after fledging. Current Biology, 33(12), 2535-2540.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.014
Lemrabott, S. Y. C., El-Hacen, E.-H. M., Piersma, T., Sall, A. A., Sidina, E., Mahmoud, L. Y. A., Olff, H., & van Leeuwen, A. (2023). Twenty years of monitoring reveal overfishing of bony fish stocks in the coastal national park Banc d’Arguin, in Mauritania. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 33(8), 833-844. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3948

2022

Silva-Monteiro, M., Pehlak, H., Timonen, S., Pessa, J., Pasanen, E., Verhoeven, M., Loonstra, A. H. J., Piersma, T., Robin, F., Korniluk, M., Onwezen, M., Bongers, M., Hamelink, J., Lembreght, F., Dunn, A., & Kleijn, D. (2023). Cross-continental differences in Black-tailed Godwit breeding densities are best explained by arthropod abundance in the chick-hatching period. Journal of Ornithology, 164(2), 287-297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-02041-9
Jetz, W., Tertitski, G., Kays, R., Mueller, U., Wikelski, M., & Supporting authors (2022). Biological Earth observation with animal sensors. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 37(4), 293-298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2021.11.011
Hooijmeijer, J., Howison, R., Barba Escoto, L., Craft, T., Stessens, M., Jager, K. D., Loos, B., Bonthuis, S., Hotting, M., Franken, M., Tijsen, W., Vries, J. J. D., & Piersma, T. (2022). Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) in southern Iberia, habitat description and finding colour marked birds from 1 – 26 February 2022: Portugal (Sado, Tejo & Algarve), Spain (Doñana & Extremadura). University of Groningen.
Hooijmeijer, J., & Piersma, T. (2022). Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) in southern Spain, habitat description and finding colour marked birds from 3 – 13 October 2022: Doñana, Bonanza, Algaida & Odiel. University of Groningen.
Henriques, M., Catry, T., Belo, J. R., Piersma, T., Pontes, S., & Granadeiro, J. P. (2022). Combining multispectral and radar imagery with machine learning techniques to map intertidal habitats for migratory shorebirds. Remote Sensing, 14(14), Article 3260. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14143260
Zhu, B.-R., Verhoeven, M., Velasco Saragoni, N., Sanchez Aguilar, L., Zhang, Z., & Piersma, T. (2022). Current breeding distributions and predicted range shifts under climate change in two subspecies of Black-tailed Godwits in Asia. Global Change Biology, 28(18), 5416-5426. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16308
Piersma, T. (2022). De ontdekking van Europa: De eerste kanoeten op het wad, de eerste terpen op de kwelder. In J. L. van Zanden, H. Čordašev, & E. de Bruin (Eds.), Gevleugelde geschiedenis van Nederland: De Nederlanders en hun vogels (pp. 31-44). Ambo/Anthos.
Verhoeven, M., Loonstra, J., Pringle, T., Kaspersma, W., Whiffin, M., McBride, A. D., Sjoerdsma, P., Roodhart, C., Burgess, M. D., Piersma, T., & Smart, J. (2022). Do ditch-side electric fences improve the breeding productivity of ground-nesting waders? Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 3(2), Article e12143. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12143
Verhoeven, M., McBride, A., Hooijmeijer, J., Piersma, T., & Senner, N. (2022). Earthworm abundance and availability does not influence the reproductive decisions of black-tailed godwits in an agricultural grassland. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 3(1), Article e12125. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12125
Peng, H. B., Shi, J., Gan, X., Zhang, J., Ma, C., Piersma, T., & Melville, D. S. (2022). Efficient removal of Spartina alterniflora with low negative environmental impacts using imazapyr. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, Article 1054402. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.1054402
Piersma, T., Gill, R. E., Ruthrauff, D. R., Guglielmo, C. G., Conklin, J. R., & Handel, C. M. (2022). Erratum to: The Pacific as the world’s greatest theater of bird migration: Extreme flights spark questions about physiological capabilities, behavior, and the evolution of migratory pathways. Ornithology, 139(3), Article ukac012. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukac012
Mu, T., Cai, S., Peng, H.-B., Hassell, C. J., Boyle, A., Zhang, Z., Piersma, T., & Wilcove, D. S. (2022). Evaluating staging habitat quality to advance the conservation of a declining migratory shorebird, Red Knot Calidris canutus. Journal of Applied Ecology, 59(8), 2084-2093. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14220
Faber, R., Alcocer Cordellat, T., Hooijmeijer, J., & Piersma, T. (2022). Finding and sampling colour ringed Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) in Parque Natural de l’Albufera (Valencia, Spain): Spring staging February 1st till March 15th 2021. University of Groningen.
Lu, X., Yang, H., Piersma, T., Sun, L., Chen, Q., Jia, Y., Lei, G., Cheng, L., & Rao, X. (2022). Food resources for Spoon-billed Sandpipers (Calidris pygmaea) in the mudflats of Leizhou Bay, southern China. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, Article 1005327. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.1005327
El- Hacen, H., Mens, T., Bouma, T., Piersma, T., Leroy, S. A. G., Olff, H., & Sangiorgi , F. (2022). Fossilized diatoms as indirect indicators of the origin of carbon stored in intertidal flats. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, Article 1006847. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.1006847
Mu, T., Choi, C. Y., Liu, Y., Piersma, T., & Wilcove, D. S. (2022). Gaps in coastal wetlands World Heritage list. Science, 376(6597), 1060-1061. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abq5816
Verkuil, Y., Tavares, E. S., González, P. M., Choffe, K., Haddrath, O., Peck, M., Niles, L. J., Baker, A. J., Piersma, T., & Conklin, J. R. (2022). Genetic structure in the nonbreeding range of rufa Red Knots suggests distinct Arctic breeding populations. Ornithological Applications, 124(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duab053
Conklin, J. R., Verkuil, Y., Battley, P. F., Hassell, C. J., ten Horn, J., Johnson, J. A., Tomkovich, P. S., Baker, A. J., Piersma, T., & Fontaine, M. (2022). Global flyway evolution in red knots Calidris canutus and genetic evidence for a Nearctic refugium. Molecular Ecology, 31(7), 2124-2139. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16379
Hooijmeijer, J., Fokkema, R., Stessens, M., Onrust, J., Veenstra, R., Howison, R., Barba Escoto, L., Duriaux Chavarria, J.-Y., Rakhimberdiev, E., Ligtelijn, M., Lagendijk, G., van der Velde, E., Kraamwinkel, C., Eren, S., Craft, T., Venderbos, R., & Piersma, T. (2022). Grutto Landschap Project - Jaarverslag 2021: De staat van ons landschap: biomonitoring van duurzame landbouw innovaties . Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.
Chan, Y.-C., Tibbitts, T. L., Dorofeev, D., Hassell, C. J., & Piersma, T. (2022). Hidden in plain sight: migration routes of the elusive Anadyr bartailed godwit revealed by satellite tracking. Journal of Avian Biology, 2022(8), Article e02988. https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02988
Silva-Monteiro, M., Scheper, J., Pehlak, H., Kurina, O., Timonen, S., Pessa, J., Pasanen, E., Verhoeven, M., Loonstra, J., Piersma, T., Robin, F., Korniluk, M., Swiętochowski, P., Onwezen, M., Bongers, M., Hamelink, J., Bik, S., Lembreght, F., Dunn, A., & Kleijn, D. (2022). Invertebrate abundance increases with vegetation productivity across natural and agricultural wader breeding habitats in Europe. Biological Conservation, 273, Article 109670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109670
Craft, T. B., Beaulieu, A., Piersma, T., & Howison, R. A. (2022). Mapping agricultural biodiversity: Legacy data and tensions between ways of seeing fields. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 10, Article 982925. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.982925
Rakhimberdiev, E., Karagicheva, J., Saveliev, A., Loonstra, J., Verhoeven, M., Hooijmeijer, J., Schaub, M., & Piersma, T. (2022). Misidentification errors in reencounters result in biased estimates of survival probability from CJS models: Evidence and a solution using the robust design. Methods in ecology and evolution, 13(5), 1106-1118. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13825
Lameris, T., Tomkovich, P. S., Johnson, J. A., Morrison, R. I. G., Tulp, I., Lisovski, S., DeCicco, L., Dementyev, M., Gill Jr., R. E., ten Horn, J., Piersma, T., Pohlen, Z., Schekkerman, H., Soloviev, M. Y., Syroechkovsky, E. E., Zhemchuzhnikov, M. K., & van Gils, J. A. (2022). Mismatch-induced growth reductions in a clade of Arctic-breeding shorebirds are rarely mitigated by increasing temperatures. Global Change Biology, 28, 829–847. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16025
Piersma, T. (2022). Ornithology from the Flatlands: Socially migrating Cuckoos? - on genes being just one of many resources shaping the individual development of migration. Ardea, 110(2), 107-110. https://doi.org/10.5253/arde.v110.2022.a21
van Hasselt, S. J., Piersma, T., & Meerlo, P. (2022). Seasonal variation in rest-activity patterns in barnacle geese: Are measurements of activity a good indicator of sleep-wake patterns? Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(20), jeb244177. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.244177
Piersma, T., de Goeij, P., Bouten, W., & Zuhorn, C. (2022). Sinagote: The Biography of a Spoonbill. (1 ed.) Lynx Edicions.
Das, D., Khandakar, N., Sultana, I., Islam, S., Ali, M. S., Galib, A. J., Shamsuddoha, M., & Piersma, T. (2022). Site use by non-breeding Black-tailed Godwits at Nijhum Dweep National Park, Bangladesh. Wader Study, 129(1). https://doi.org/10.18194/ws.00264
Navedo, J. G., Piersma, T., Figuerola, J., & Vansteelant, W. (2022). Spain's Doñana World Heritage Site in danger. Science, 376(6589), 144. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo7363
Coelho, A. P., Henriques, M., Rocha, A. D., Paulino, J., Schaars, L. K., Ramos, C., de Barros, A. R., Catry, T., Granadeiro, J. P., Piersma, T., & Alves, J. A. (2022). Spatial and seasonal variation in macrozoobenthic density, biomass and community composition in a major tropical intertidal area, the Bijagós Archipelago, West-Africa. PLoS ONE, 17(11), Article e0277861. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277861
Henriques, M., Belo, J. R., Sá, J., Monteiro, H., Alves, J. A., Piersma, T., Dodman, T., & Roomen, M. V. (2022). The Bijagós Archipelago: A key area for waterbirds of the East Atlantic Flyway. In M. van Roomen, G. Citegetse, O. Crowe, T. Dodman, W. Hagemeijer, K. Meise, & H. Schekkerman (Eds.), East Atlantic Flyway assessment 2020: The status of coastal waterbird populations and their sites (pp. 81-93). Wadden Sea Flyway Initiative p/a CWSS, Wilhelmshaven, Germany, Wetlands International, Wageningen, The Netherlands, BirdLife International, Cambridge, United Kingdom.. https://www.waddensea-worldheritage.org/resources/east-atlantic-flyway-assessment-2020
van der Winden, J., Hogeweg, N., Baaij, E., van Horssen, P. W., Shamoun-Baranes, J., Vos, R., & Piersma, T. (2022). The influence of weather on the migration behaviour of Eurasian Bitterns Botaurus stellaris. Bird Study, 68(3), 370-380. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2022.2095350
Piersma, T., Gill, Jr, R. E., Ruthrauff, D. R., Guglielmo, C. G., Conklin, J. R., & Handel, C. M. (2022). The Pacific as the world’s greatest theater of bird migration: Extreme flights spark questions about physiological capabilities, behavior, and the evolution of migratory pathways. The Auk, 139, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukab086
Vervoort, R., Schmaltz, L., Hooijmeijer, J., Verkuil, Y., Kempenaers, B., & Piersma, T. (2022). Within- and between-year variation in the presence of individually marked Ruff Calidris pugnax at a stopover site during northward migration. Ardea, 110(1), 41–59. https://doi.org/10.5253/arde.v110i1.a1

2021

van Hasselt, S. J., Verhulst, S., Piersma, T., Rattenborg, N. C., & Meerlo, P. (2022). A comparison of continuous and intermittent EEG recordings in geese: How much data are needed to reliably estimate sleep-wake patterns? Journal of Sleep Research, 31(3), Article e13525. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13525
Verhoeven, M. A., Loonstra, A. H. J., McBride, A. D., Kaspersma, W., Hooijmeijer, J. C. E. W., Both, C., Senner, N. R., & Piersma, T. (2022). Age-dependent timing and routes demonstrate developmental plasticity in a long-distance migratory bird. Journal of Animal Ecology, 91(3), 566-579. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13641
Bom, R., Conklin, J. R., Verkuil, Y., Alves, J. A., de Fouw, J., Dekinga, A., Hassell, C. J., Klaassen, R., Kwarteng, A. Y., Rakhimberdiev, E., Rocha, A., ten Horn, J., Tibbitts, T. L., Tomkovich, P. S., Victor, R., & Piersma, T. (2022). Central-West Siberian-breeding Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) segregate in two morphologically distinct flyway populations. Ibis, 164, 468–485. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.13024
Ersoy, S., Beardsworth, C. E., Dekinga, A., van der Meer, M. T. J., Piersma, T., Groothuis, T. G. G., & Bijleveld, A. I. (2022). Exploration speed in captivity predicts foraging tactics and diet in free-living red knots. Journal of Animal Ecology, 91(2), 356-366. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13632
Penning, E., Govers, L., Dekker, R., & Piersma, T. (2021). Advancing presence and changes in body size of brown shrimp Crangon crangon on intertidal flats in the western Dutch Wadden Sea, 1984–2018. Marine Biology, 168(11), Article 160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03967-z
Lei, W., Wu, Y., Wu, F., Piersma, T., Zhang, Z., & Masero, J. A. (2021). Artificial wetlands as breeding habitats for shorebirds: A case study on Pied Avocets in China’s largest saltpan complex. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, Article 622756. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.622756
Henriques, M., Granadeiro, J. P., Piersma, T., Leão, S., Pontes, S., & Catry, T. (2021). Assessing the contribution of mangrove carbon and of other basal sources to intertidal flats adjacent to one of the largest West African mangrove forests. Marine Environmental Research, 169, Article 105331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105331
Piersma, T., & Gutiérrez, J. S. (2021). Bird migration: Flying high to avoid overheating? Current Biology, 31(15), R948–R971. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.066
Hooijmeijer, J., Fokkema, R., & Piersma, T. (2021). Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) in Southwest Spain from Rio Barbate to Rio Odiel, habitat description and finding ringed birds from 1 – 11 October 2021. University of Groningen.
van Hasselt, S. J., Hut, R. A., Allocca, G., Vyssotski, A. L., Piersma, T., Rattenborg, N. C., & Meerlo, P. (2021). Cloud cover amplifies the sleep-suppressing effect of artificial light at night in geese. Environmental Pollution, 273, Article 116444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116444
Zhu, B.-R., Verkuil, Y. I., Conklin, J. R., Yang, A., Lei, W., Alves, J. A., Hassell, C. J., Dorofeev, D., Zhang, Z., & Piersma, T. (2021). Discovery of a morphologically and genetically distinct population of Black-tailed Godwits in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Ibis, 163(2), 448-462. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12890
Zhang, S., Bai, Q., Melville, D. S., Feng, C., Piersma, T., & Ma, Z. (2021). Food supplementation as a conservation intervention: A framework and a case of helping threatened shorebirds at a refuelling site. Biological Conservation, 264, Article 109394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109394
Hooijmeijer, J. (Ed.), van der Velde, E., Fokkema, R., Howison, R., Onrust, J., Rakhimberdiev, E., Saarloos, A., Groenhof, E., Zeegers, T., & Piersma, T. (2021). Grutto Landschap Project - Jaarverslag 2020: De staat van ons landschap: biomonitoring van duurzame landbouw innovaties. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. https://www.globalflywaynetwork.org/gfn/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Grutto-Landschap-Project-2020-Jaarverslag-.pdf
Piersma, T. (Author). (2021). Het gif van de grutto-weide. Web publication/site, Vogelbescherming Nederland. https://www.vogelbescherming.nl/actueel/bericht/het-gif-van-de-grutto-weide
Zhu, B., Verhoeven, M., Loonstra, J., Sanchez Aguilar, L., Hassell, C. J., Leung, K. S. K., Lei, W., Zhang, Z., & Piersma, T. (2021). Identification of breeding grounds and annual routines of the newly discovered bohaii subspecies of Black-tailed Godwits. Emu, 121, 292–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2021.1963287
Meijer, K. J., El-Hacen, E.-H. M., Govers, L. L., Lavaleye, M., Piersma, T., & Olff, H. (2021). Mangrove-mudflat connectivity shapes benthic communities in a tropical intertidal system. Ecological indicators, 130, Article 108030. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108030
Peng, H.-B., Chan, Y.-C., Compton, T. J., Cheng, X.-F., Melville, D. S., Zhang, S.-D., Zhang, Z., Lei, G., Ma, Z., & Piersma, T. (2021). Mollusc aquaculture homogenizes intertidal soft-sediment communities along the 18,400 km long coastline of China. Diversity and Distributions, 27(8), 1553-1567. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13302
Piersma, T., Gill, R. E., & Ruthrauff, D. R. (2021). Physiomorphic transformation in extreme endurance migrants: Revisiting the case of Bar-tailed Godwits preparing for trans-Pacific flights. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, Article 685764. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.685764
Das, D. K., Khandakar, N., Sultana, I., Shamsuddoha, M., Galib, A. J., Akhtar, F., & Piersma, T. (2021). Population size, behavior and threats to Indian Skimmers (Rhynchops albicollis) at their largest known wintering site. Waterbirds, 44(3), 382-388. https://doi.org/10.1675/063.044.0314
Macías Torres, P., Piersma, T., & Hooijmeijer, J. (2021). Resighting Black-tailed godwits in Doñana and Extremadura during spring migration. January 31st to February 19th, 2021. University of Groningen.
Piersma, T., & El- Hacen, H. (2021). Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology: Annual Report 2020 - 2021. University of Groningen.
Piersma, T., de Goeij, P., Bouten, W., & Zuhorn, C. (2021). Sinagote: Het levensverhaal van een lepelaar. (1 ed.) Uitgeverij Noordboek.
Belo, J., Piersma, T., & Hooijmeijer, J. (2021). Spring migration of Black-tailed Godwits in Portugal (Tagus & Sado Estuaries) from 1 to 26 February 2021. University of Groningen.
Verkuil, Y. I., Jukema, J., Tomkovich, P. S., Rönkä, N., Hooijmeijer, J. C. E. W., & Piersma, T. (2021). Striking rusty-brown neck collars in ruffs: Plumage polymorphism or staining? Wader Study, 128(1), 36-43. https://doi.org/10.18194/ws.00223
Sijtsma, F., Vreeling, L., Angelstam, P., El- Hacen, H., van der Heide, M., Horlings, I., Piersma, T., & Tittonell, P. (2021). Systematisch èn snel wetenschappelijk literatuuronderzoek t.b.v. beleid: Een verkenning van het gebruik van ASReview rond de effectiviteit van beleidsinstrumenten die duurzame landbouw stimuleren. University of Groningen.
Lei, W., Masero, J. A., Dingle, C., Liu, Y., Chai, Z., Zhu, B., Peng, H., Zhang, Z., & Piersma, T. (2021). The value of coastal saltpans for migratory shorebirds: Conservation insights from a stable isotope approach based on feeding guild and body size. Animal Conservation, 24(6), 1071-1083. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12717
Lagarde, F., & Piersma, T. (2021). Vocal signalling by Eurasian Spoonbills Platalea leucorodia in flocks before migratory departure. Ardea, 109(2), 243-250. https://doi.org/10.5253/arde.v109i3.a8
Piersma, T., Kok, E. M. A., Hassell, C. J., Peng, H.-B., Verkuil, Y. I., Lei, G., Karagicheva, J., Rakhimberdiev, E., Howey, P. W., Tibbitts, T. L., & Chan, Y.-C. (2021). When a typical jumper skips: Itineraries and staging habitats used by Red Knots (Calidris canutus piersmai) migrating between northwest Australia and the New Siberian Islands. Ibis, 163(4), 1235-1251. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12964

2020

Verhoeven, M. A., Loonstra, A. H. J., McBride, A. D., Both, C., Senner, N. R., & Piersma, T. (2021). Migration route, stopping sites, and non-breeding destinations of adult Black-tailed Godwits breeding in southwest Fryslân, The Netherlands. Journal of Ornithology, 162, 61–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-020-01807-3
van Hasselt, S. J., Mekenkamp, G.-J., Komdeur, J., Allocca, G., Vyssotski, A. L., Piersma, T., Rattenborg, N. C., & Meerlo, P. (2021). Seasonal variation in sleep homeostasis in migratory geese: A rebound of NREM sleep following sleep deprivation in summer but not in winter. Sleep, 44(4). https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsaa244
Kok, E. M. A., Tibbitts, T. L., Douglas, D. C., Howey, P. W., Dekinga, A., Gnep, B., & Piersma, T. (2020). A red knot as a black swan: How a single bird shows navigational abilities during repeat crossings of the Greenland Icecap. Journal of Avian Biology, 51(8), Article 02464. https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02464
Muller, J. R. M., Chan, Y.-C., Piersma, T., Chen, Y., Aarninkhof, S. G. J., Hassell, C. J., Tao, J., Gong, Z., Wang, Z. B., & van Maren, D. S. (2020). Building for nature: Preserving threatened bird habitat in port design. Water, 12(8), Article 2134. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12082134
van der Velde, E., Hooijmeijer, J., Terpstra, S., Terpstra, E., & Piersma, T. (2020). Camera-onderzoek naar nestpredatie bij weidevogels in Skriezekrite Idzegea 2020. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.
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