![]() The rodent cycle, which appears as a pulsed resource, can be at the peak in one area while it might be at its lower point in another within the same season ( Predavec et al., 2001 Krebs et al., 2002). The rodent cycle in the Arctic is defined by a period where lemming and vole abundance rises for a few years, reaches a peak and afterwards crashes ( Oksanen and Oksanen, 1992 Angerbjörn et al., 2001). These species have evolved to efficiently predict and track spatial variations in this variable resource ( Sundell et al., 2004 Ims and Fuglei, 2005 Gilg et al., 2009 Schmidt et al., 2012). ![]() A core component of life in the tundra habitat is the rodent cycle representing an abundant resource for numerous predators such as the stoat ( Mustela erminea), arctic fox ( Vulpes lagopus), long-tailed skua ( Stercorarius longicaudus), snowy owl ( Bubo scandiacus), and rough-legged buzzard ( Buteo lagopus) every 3–5 years ( Gilg et al., 2003, 2006 Sundell et al., 2004 Tast et al., 2010). Another key aspect to consider in the Arctic is the high inter-annual variability in environmental conditions (including food resources) during the reproductive season. Spring migration and the options for arrival to the breeding area are limited in time by the photoperiod ( Pokrovsky et al., 2021) and extreme environmental conditions on the breeding grounds, such are low temperature, scarcity of food, and snow cover ( Curk et al., 2020). Another limitation for migratory arctic species is the timing of migration. This lack of time is especially evident in arctic migrants, which are particularly limited by a short breeding season ( Bêty et al., 2004 Madsen et al., 2007 Lamarre et al., 2017). Particularly so in migratory species that travel large distances and thus have very little time after their arrival to the breeding grounds to choose an appropriate location for reproduction. The decision of animals to inhabit a specific area is of significant importance for their reproductive success and survival ( Montgomery and Roloff, 2013). We anticipate our study provides a step forward toward understanding movement and settlement decisions in animals experiencing high inter-annual environmental variation. ![]() Therefore, as rodent cycles have been predicted to collapse in the warming Arctic, we can expect arctic predators to change their movement patterns in the future with serious potential consequences for their conservation. At the same time, buzzards that bred in the rodent-free ecosystem prospected less and showed a high level of philopatry. ![]() Failed breeders prospected more than successful ones. Rough-legged buzzards, regardless of breeding success, remained in the Arctic all breeding season until the end of September. In the following year, individuals return to and attempt to breed in the area they inspected the year before. Here we show that rough-legged buzzards search for a nesting location during the previous breeding season in a post-breeding period. We tracked 43 rough-legged buzzards using GPS telemetry and assessed their movements post-breeding prospecting behavior to test our hypothesis. We hypothesized that rough-legged buzzards select nesting areas during the previous breeding season. It remains unclear how arctic predators, especially migrants, can find nesting areas where rodents are numerous when their selection time is so limited. This general time constraint is amplified in rough-legged buzzards ( Buteo lagopus) who, as many other arctic predators, rely on rodent (lemming) cycles during the breeding season, a 3–5 year period of waxing and waning local food abundance. This is especially evident in arctic migrants, which are restricted by a narrow window of opportunity when environmental conditions are favorable for breeding. Migratory species have a limited time for habitat selection upon arrival at the breeding grounds. 4Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia.3Institute of Biological Problems of the North, Magadan, Russia.2Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.1Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.Teja Curk 1,2 * Olga Kulikova 3 Ivan Fufachev 4 Martin Wikelski 1 Kamran Safi 1 Ivan Pokrovsky 1,3,4 *
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