Below you’ll find my publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals in chronological order across different levels of contribution. On other pages you’ll find my book chapters and publications in regional bird journals. You can also explore papers chronologically and according to citation count via my Google Scholar or ResearchGate pages.
Up until September 2025 I lead-authored, supervised or made other major contributions to 23 research articles (‘main publications’) and 3 commentaries or letters resulting from collaborations with esteemed colleagues across 14 countries. I made modest and small contributions to 5 more works as co-author.
Main PUBLICATIONS
All my first and last author publications, and
papers in which I made major contributions.
Falcons use wind assistance and islands to mitigate risk during ocean-crossings.
Chen M., D.S. Viana, J. Figuerola, L. Gangoso & W.M.G. Vansteelant
bioRxiv (pre-print). doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.12.669758
[in review]
Gradual ontogenetic shifts in the mobility and space use of long-lived migratory greater flamingos.
Lopez-Ricaurte L., W.M.G. Vansteelant, A. Antoine, O. Duriez, F. Jiguet, S. Nissardi, D. Scridel, L. Serra, S. Tillo, A. Bechet & J. Champagnon
bioRxiv (pre-print). doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.16.659883
[in review]
Eurasian Spoonbill chicks receive parental care up to several months after fledging, but not into migration.
Lok T., P. de Goeij, E. Rakhimberdiev, T. Piersma & W.M.G. Vansteelant
bioRxiv (pre-print). doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.15.654226
[in press, Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology]
Full-season spring migration counts reveal seasonal contrasts in raptor migration through the eastern Black Sea flyway.
Tal T., D. Jansen, E. Jansen, A.W. Green, E. Hoekstra, M. Heetkamp, F. T’jollyn, D. Engelen, B. Hoekstra, T. Kaasiku & W.M.G. Vansteelant
bioRxiv (pre-print). doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.30.610513
[in press, Ardea]
Natal dispersal and process of recruitment in a long-lived, trans-continentally migrating bird.
Mirski P., W.M.G. Vansteelant & P. Byholm
bioRxiv (pre-print). doi: 10.1101/2024.05.17.594760
[in press, Animal Behaviour]
A time and a place for everything: Eurasian Spoonbills divide spring and summer activities across different areas in the eastern Dutch Wadden Sea.
Henriques, M., T. Piersma, W.M.G Vansteelant, P. de Goeij, and T. Lok
Ardea (2025) 113: 3–20. doi: 10.5253/arde.2024.a24
Sympatric non-breeding of three subspecies of Black-tailed Godwit in the world’s largest river delta.
Das, D.K., W.M.G. Vansteelant, B.-R. Zhu, S. Islam, N. Khandakar, M. van der Velde, C.J. Hassell, J.R. Conklin, P. Bocher, J.C.E.W. Hooijmeijer, Y.I. Verkuil, and T. Piersma
Avian Research (2025), 100226. doi: 10.1016/j.avrs.2025.100226
Primary moult of Eurasian Spoonbills Platalea leucorodia leucorodia in the Wadden Sea in relation to age, breeding and migration.
de Boer A., W.M.G. Vansteelant & T. Piersma
Ardea (2024). doi: 10.5253/arde.2023.a19
A trans-African migrant shows repeatable route choice in males and repeatable timing in females.
Vansteelant W.M.G., L. Gangoso, D.S. Viana, J.Z. Shamoun-Baranes & J. Figuerola
Journal of Avian Biology (2023). e03050. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03050
Itinerant lifestyle and congregation of lesser kestrels in West Africa.
Lopez-Ricaurte L., W.M.G. Vansteelant, J. Hernández-Pliego, D. García-Silveira, S. Casado, F. Garcés-Toledano, J. Martínez-Dalmau, A. Ortega, B. Rodríguez-Moreno & J. Bustamante
Journal of Avian Biology (2023). e03063. doi: 10.1111/jav.03063
Adaptive drift and barrier-avoidance by a fly-forage migrant along a climate-driven flyway.
Vansteelant W.M.G., L. Gangoso, W. Bouten, D.S. Viana. & J. Figuerola
Movement Ecology (2021) 9, 37. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-021-00272-8
Barrier crossings and winds shape daily travel schedules and speeds of a flight generalist.
Lopez-Ricaurte L., W.M.G. Vansteelant, J. Hernández-Pliego, D. García-Silveira, A. Bermejo-Bermejo, S. Casado, J. G. Cecere, J. Javier de la Puente, F. Garcés-Toledano, J. Martínez-Dalmau, A. Ortega, B. Rodríguez-Moreno, D. Rubolini, M. Sarà & J. Bustamante
Scientific Reports (2021), 11, 12044. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-91378-x
Western Marsh Harriers Circus aeruginosus from nearby breeding areas migrate along comparable loops but on contrasting schedules in the West African-Eurasian flyway.
Vansteelant W.M.G., R. Klaassen, R. Strandberg, K. Janssens, F. T´Jollyn, W. Bouten, B.J. Koks & A. Anselin
Journal of Ornithology (2020). doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-020-01785-6
Accounting for differential migration strategies between age groups to monitor raptor population dynamics in the eastern Black Sea flyway.
Vansteelant W.M.G., J. Wehrmann, D. Engelen, J. Jansen, B. Verhelst, R. Benjumea, S. Cavaillès, T. Kaasiku, B. Hoekstra & F. de Boer
Ibis (2020), 162: 356-372. doi: 10.1111/ibi.12773
Check out our graphic research summary on the BRC website
Batumi Raptor Count: autumn raptor migration count data from the Batumi bottleneck, Republic of Georgia.
Wehrmann J., F. de Boer, R. Benjumea, S. Cavaillès, D. Engelen, J. Jansen, B. Verhelst & W.M.G. Vansteelant
Zookeys (2019), 836: 135-157. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.836.29252
Orientation of native versus translocated juvenile lesser spotted eagles (Clanga pomarina) on the first autumn migration.
Meyburg B.U., U. Bergmanis, T. Langgemach, K. Graszynski, A. Hinz, I. Borner, C. Meyburg & W.M.G. Vansteelant
Journal of Experimental Biology (2017), 220: 2675-2776. doi: 10.1242/jeb.148932.
Inside JEB editorial by Kathryn Wright
Wind conditions and geography shape the first outbound migration of juvenile honey buzzards and their distribution across sub-Saharan Africa.
Vansteelant W.M.G., J. Kekoonen, W. Bouten & P. Byholm
Proc. R. Soc. B. (2017), 284: 20170387. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0387
Atmospheric conditions create freeways, detours and tailbacks for migrating birds.
Shamoun-Baranes J.Z., F. Liechti & W.M.G. Vansteelant
Journal of Comparative Physiology A. (2017), 203: 509-529. doi: doi:10.1007/s00359-017-1181-9
Soaring across continents: decision-making of a soaring migrant under changing atmospheric conditions along an entire flyway.
Vansteelant W.M.G., J.Z. Shamoun-Baranes, J. van Diermen, W. van Manen & W. Bouten
Journal of Avian Biology (2017), 48: 887-896. doi: 10.1111/jav.01298
Seasonal detours of soaring migants shaped by wind regimes in the East Atlantic Flyway.
Vansteelant W.M.G., J.Z. Shamoun-Baranes, J. van Diermen, W. van Manen & W. Bouten
Journal of Animal Ecology (2017), 86(2): 179-191. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.12593
'In Focus' article by subject editor J. Chapman in Journal of Animal Ecology
Read the blog at Journal of Animal Ecology
Regional and seasonal flight speeds of soaring migrants and the role of weather at hourly and daily scales.
Vansteelant W.M.G., W. Bouten, R.H.G. Klaassen, B.J. Koks, A.E. Schlaich, J. van Diermen, E.E. van Loon & J.Z. Shamoun Baranes
Journal of Avian Biology (2015), 46: 25-39. doi: 10.1111/jav.00457
Most cited JAB paper in 2016
Read the blog at Avian Biology
Effect of wind, thermal convection, and variation in flight strategies on the daily rhythm and flight paths of migrating raptors at Georgia's Black Sea coast.
Vansteelant, W.M.G., B. Verhelst, J. Shamoun-Baranes, W. Bouten, E.E. van Loon & K.L. Bildstein
Journal of Field Ornithology (2014), 85: 40–55. doi: 10.1111/jofo.12048
The Batumi Raptor Count: an important bottleneck for raptor migration during autumn.
Verhelst B., J. Jansen & W.M.G. Vansteelant
Ardea (2011), 99: 137-146. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5253/078.099.0203
letters & commentary
Toward integrating migration counts and GPS tracking for flyway-scale avian population monitoring — A response to Efrat et al. (2025).
Hoekstra B., W.M.G. Vansteelant, D. Engelen & T. Tal
Biological Conservation (2025). 111467. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111467
A godwit perspective on rapid wetland loss in Doñana and the Guadalquivir delta.
Vansteelant W.M.G.
Wader Study (2023). 130(2): 95 – 98. doi: 10.18194/ws.00315
Spain’s Doñana World Heritage Site in danger.
Navedo J.G., T. Piersma, J. Figuerola & W.M.G. Vansteelant
Science (2022). 376: 6589. doi: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo7363
co-author papers
Experience does not change the importance of wind support for migratory route selection by a soaring bird.
Brønnvik H., K. Safi, W.M.G. Vansteelant, P. Byholm & E. Nourani
R. Soc. Open Science (2022), 9: 220746220746. doi: 10.1098/rsos.220746
Hotspots in the grid: Avian sensitivity and vulnerability to collision risk from energy infrastructure interactions in Europe and North Africa.
Gauld J.G., J.P. Silva, P.W. Atkinson, P. Record, M. Acácio, V. Arkumarev, J. Blas, W. Bouten, N. Burton, I. Catry, J. Champagnon, G.D. Clewley, M. Dagys, O. Duriez, K-M. Exo, W. Fiedler, A. Flack, G. Friedemann, J. Fritz, C. Garcia-Ripolles, S. Garthe, D. Giunchi, A. Grozdanov, R. Harel, E.M. Humphreys, R. Janssen, A. Kölzsch, O. Kulikova, T.K. Lameris, P. López-López, E.A. Masden, F. Monti, R. Nathan, S. Nikolov, S. Oppel, H. Peshev, L. Phipps, I. Pokrovsky, V.H. Ross-Smith, V. Saravia, E.S. Scragg, A. Sforzi, E. Stoynov, Chris Thaxter, W. Vansteelant, M. van Toor, B. Vorneweg, J. Waldenström, M. Wikelski, R. Žydelis, A.M. A. Franco
J. Applied Ecology (2022), doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.14160
The interplay of wind and uplift facilitates over-water flight in facultative soaring birds.
Nourani E., G. Bohrer, P. Becciu, R.O. Bierregaard, O. Duriez, J. Figuerola, L. Gangoso, S. Giokas, H. Higuchi, C. Kassara, O. Kulikova, N. Lecomte, F. Monti, I. Pokrovsky, A. Sforzi, J.-F. Therrien, N. Tsiopelas, W.M.G. Vansteelant, D.S. Viana, N.M. Yamaguchi, M. Wikelski, K. Safi
Proc. R. Soc. B. (2021), 288: 20211603. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1603
Dynamics of the energy seascape can explain intra-specific variations in sea-crossing behaviour of soaring birds.
Nourani E., W.M.G. Vansteelant, P. Byholm & K. Safi
Biology Letters (2020), 16(1). doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0797
Age-related timing of short-toed snake eagle Circaetus gallicus migration along detoured and direct flyways.
Agostini N., L. Baghino, W.M.G. Vansteelant & M. Panuccio
Bird Study (2016), 64: 37-44. doi: 10.1080/00063657.2016.1264362