Protandry, the phenomenon of males arriving earlier at the breeding grounds than females, has been demonstrated in several migratory bird species. The pattern is linked to reproductive success and often ascribed to selection for securing the highest quality territories or mates. Protandry can be achieved by males wintering closer to the breeding area or migrating earlier or faster than females; none of these options being mutually exclusive. Constraints in following the birds throughout the annual cycle have so far limited our understanding of the proximate causes of protandry. Furthermore, protandry may not occur exclusively at the breeding grounds, but could potentially act at all stages during the annual cycle. Recent technological advances are currently enabling us to track yet smaller songbirds throughout their migration, giving us the opportunity to study the causes of protandry in further detail. Here, we use data derived from geolocator tracking of red-backed shrikes, Lanius collurio, from a Scandinavian breeding population over a five year period (2009-2014) to assess whether males precede females throughout the annual cycle by comparing differences in the migration speed and timing at each of the migration stages.