Fig. 2

Eleonora’s falcon migration routes and timing relative to the seasonal position of the ITF and African rainfall. a Tracks are coloured according to tailwind strength along the falcons’ realized travel direction (reds = headwinds, blues = tailwinds). Red ribbons show the mean latitudinal position (solid line) and Q10%-Q90% latitudinal range (dashed lines) of the ITF at each 5° longitude. Note that ITF positions and rainfall heatmaps are based on data for October and April, which is representative for the period in which falcons initiate eastward/westward movements along the ITF in autumn/spring, respectively. The ITF would have shifted further south/north by the time falcons crossed the Congo Basin in autumn and by the time they reached West Africa in spring, respectively. b Falcon tracks superimposed on a Hovmöller diagram for mean daily rainfall at every 2.5° latitude across mainland Africa, visualizing the seasonal shift in rainfall latitude across Africa associated to the shifting position of the ITF