Bright Lights, Big Cities Attract Migratory Birds

Night light pollution is an important environmental problem impacting on many animals including a variety of insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. While some impacts of night light pollution are well-known such as misorientation of sea turtle hatchlings and deaths of migratory birds, other less obvious impacts on reproduction, communication, competition, and predation have recently been reported. As some natural areas in New Guinea and Australia face agricultural and industrial development, conflicts between wildlife and photopollution will add to existing problems of habitat fragmentation and degradation. I report on the photopollution impacts on the nocturnal behavior of the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps). Captive sugar gliders were monitored using a "super nightshot" camcorder for baseline nocturnal behaviour following a 12 hour dayligh/12 hour dark regime. Treatment consisted of 12 hour dayligh/12 hour simulated ambient low and high luminosity street light photopollution (average 7.0 and 12.0 lux). Over 575 sugar glider-hours were analyzed. The results show marked behavioural impacts under high luminosity treatment, even 7.0 lux reduced foraging time. This is the first report of photopollution impacts on sugar glider foraging and activity levels. Further research, particularly with wild populations, is needed to elucidate the extent of photopollution impacts on sugar gliders and their endangered and vulnerable relatives.

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Bright lights in the big cities: migratory birds’ exposure to artificial light

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment ◽

10.1002/fee.2029 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 209-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Kyle G Horton ◽

Cecilia Nilsson ◽

Benjamin M Van Doren ◽

Frank A La Sorte ◽

Adriaan M Dokter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Migratory Birds ◽

Artificial Light ◽

Big Cities

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Circadian flight schedules in night-migrating birds caught on migration

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2008.0388 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 619-622 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Timothy Coppack ◽

Simon F Becker ◽

Philipp J.J Becker

Keyword(s):

Migratory Birds ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Stopover Site ◽

Migratory Activity ◽

Flight Schedules ◽

Northern European ◽

Temporal Cues ◽

Key Factor ◽

Migrating Birds ◽

Songbird Migration

Many species of migratory birds migrate in a series of solitary nocturnal flights. Between flights, they stop to rest and refuel for the next segment of their journey. The mechanism controlling this behaviour has long remained elusive. Here, we show that wild-caught migratory redstarts ( Phoenicurus phoenicurus ) are consistent in their flight scheduling. An advanced videographic system enabled us to determine the precise timing of flight activity in redstarts caught at a northern European stopover site during their return trip from Africa. Birds were held captive for three days in the absence of photoperiodic cues (constant dim light) and under permanent food availability. Despite the absence of external temporal cues, birds showed clear bimodal activity patterns: intense nocturnal activity alternating with diurnal foraging and resting periods. The onset of their migratory activity coincided with the time of local sunset and was individually consistent on consecutive nights. The data demonstrate that night-migrating birds are driven by autonomous circadian clocks entrained by sunset cues. This timekeeping system is probably the key factor in the overall control of nocturnal songbird migration.

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Evaporative Water Loss and Stopover Behavior in Three Passerine Bird Species During Autumn Migration

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.704676 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Bernhard Paces ◽

Barbara M. Waringer ◽

Adi Domer ◽

Darren Burns ◽

Yoram Zvik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Loss ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Bird Species ◽

Passerine Bird ◽

Ambient Conditions ◽

Evaporative Water ◽

Stopover Site ◽

Total Body Mass ◽

Total Body

Migratory birds are often not specifically adapted to arid conditions, yet several species travel across deserts during their journeys, and often have more or less short stopovers there. We investigated whether differences in thermoregulatory mechanisms, specifically evaporative cooling, explain the different behavior of three passerine species while stopping over in the Negev desert, Israel. We measured cutaneous water loss (CWL) under ambient conditions and the temperature of panting onset in an experimental setup. In addition, we performed behavioral observations of birds at a stopover site where we manipulated water availability. Blackcaps had slightly higher CWL at relatively low temperatures than Willow Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats. When considered relative to total body mass, however, Willow Warblers had the highest CWL of the three species. Blackcaps started panting at lower ambient temperature than the other two species. Taken together, these results suggest that Willow Warblers are the most efficient in cooling their body, possibly with the cost of needing to regain water by actively foraging during their staging. Lesser Whitethroats had a similar pattern, which was reflected in their slightly higher levels of activity and drinking behavior when water was available. However, in general the behavior of migratory species was not affected by the availability of water, and they were observed drinking rather rarely. Our results indicate that differences in thermoregulatory mechanisms might be at the basis of the evolution of different stopover strategies of migratory birds while crossing arid areas such as deserts.

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Living on the edge: genetic structure and geographic distribution in the threatened Markham’s Storm-Petrel (Hydrobates markhami)

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.12669 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e12669

Author(s):

Heraldo V. Norambuena ◽

Reinaldo Rivera ◽

Rodrigo Barros ◽

Rodrigo Silva ◽

Ronny Peredo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Global Change ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Mitochondrial Gene ◽

Distribution Area ◽

Light Pollution ◽

Conservation Policies ◽

Area Reduction ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Storm Petrel

Migratory birds are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, illegal killings, ineffective conservation policies, knowledge gaps and climate change. These threats are particularly troubling in the Procellariiformes (Aves), one of the most endangered bird groups. For “storm-petrels”, their cryptic breeding behavior, asynchrony between populations, and light pollution pose additional threats that contribute to increased mortality.Markham’s Storm-Petrel (Hydrobates markhami), a poorly known migratory species, is a pelagic bird that breeds in dispersed colonies in the Sechura and Atacama Deserts, with asynchronous reproduction between colonies, and is highly affected by artificial lights. Considering its complex conservation scenario and singular breeding, we expected to find narrow habitat distribution conditions, strong geographic genetic structure, and spatially differentiation related to human population activities (e.g., light pollution) and the climate global change. To evaluate these predictions, we analyzed the phylogeography, current and future potential distribution based on mitochondrial gene ND1 and geographic records.The phylogeographic analyses revealed three well-supported clades (i.e., Paracas, Arica, and Salar Grande), and the geographical distribution modeled using an intrinsic conditional model (iCAR) suggests a positive relationship with the mean temperature of the wettest quarter and of the driest quarter, solar radiation, and anthropogenic disturbance. The future predictions under moderate and severe scenarios of global change indicated a drastic distribution area reduction, especially in the southern zone around Tarapacá and Antofagasta in Chile. These suggest a potential loss of unique genetic diversity and the need for conservation actions particularly focused at the edges of the H. markhami distribution.

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Perilaku Migrasi Sikep Madu-Asia dalam Pemanfaatan Lanskap di Flores Bagian Timur, Indonesia Berdasarkan Data Satellite-tracking

Jurnal Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Alam dan Lingkungan (Journal of Natural Resources and Environmental Management) ◽

10.29244/jpsl.10.3.479-488 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 479-488

Author(s):

Syartinilia ◽

Risco Noverio Rafael ◽

Hiroyoshi Higuchi

Keyword(s):

Food Supply ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Satellite Tracking ◽

Breeding Habitat ◽

Migratory Behavior ◽

Small Islands ◽

Complex Phenomenon ◽

Stopover Site ◽

Wintering Habitat ◽

Migratory Path

Raptor migration is complex phenomenon of migration which involving of millions of individual birds flying hundreds or thousands kilometers, between breeding habitat and wintering habitat. Migratory behavior consisted of period, route, and other aspects that affect the ecology of migratory birds. Pernis ptylorhynchus, Oriental honey-buzzard (OHB) is one of migratory raptors which have satellite tracked by ARGOS since 2003. Eastern part of Flores Islands consisted of small islands (23 islands) were identified as OHB’s migratory path to reach their wintering habitats in Kupang and Timor Island. This study has aimed to identify and analyze the OHB’s migratory behavior in Eastern part of Flores Islands. Four individuals OHB have satellite tracked in the period of 2007-2012 were used as main data for analyzing their migratory behavior. There was no particular pattern found on the way of OHBs selected islands for their stopover site because of the existence of small islands cluster provide variety of route for each OHBs. The length of their stay found relatively constant every year and tend to be stay longer on larger islands than the smaller one such as Flores Island and Lembata Island. This is apparently due to the larger islands provide more food supply than smaller islands.

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Sex, Wingtip Shape, and Wing-Loading Predict Arrival Date at a Stopover Site in the Swainson's Thrush (Catharus Ustulatus)

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/124.4.1388 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 124 (4) ◽

pp. 1388-1396 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Melissa S. Bowlin

Keyword(s):

Migratory Birds ◽

Function Analysis ◽

Molecular Techniques ◽

Wing Loading ◽

Arrival Date ◽

Catharus Ustulatus ◽

Stopover Site ◽

Migratory Flight ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Central Illinois

Abstract Pointed wingtips and low wing-loading are believed to reduce the amount of energy used during migratory flight. If this is true, individuals with pointed wingtips or consistently low wing-loading should be able to migrate faster than conspecifics and may arrive on the breeding grounds and at stopover sites earlier. To test this hypothesis, I captured 97 Swainson's Thrushes (Catharus ustulatus; hereafter “thrushes”) during May in three consecutive field seasons, 2003-2005, at a stopover site in central Illinois. I used molecular techniques to sex 47 of these thrushes and created a discriminant function analysis using wing, tarsometatarsus, and tail lengths that predicted sex with 80.9% accuracy (P < 0.001). I applied this function to the remaining 50 thrushes so that I could control for any sexual dimorphism in morphology and arrival timing, and then examined seasonal trends in sex and morphology. Male thrushes arrived earlier at my stopover site than females (P < 0.001). After controlling for sex, thrushes with more pointed wingtips (P = 0.002) and lower wing-loading (P = 0.044) arrived earlier than thrushes with more rounded wingtips and higher wing-loading. The general linear model with sex, wingtip pointedness, and wing-loading explained nearly one-third of the variation in arrival date (P < 0.001, r2 = 0.281, n = 90). Pointed wingtips and lower wing-loading may help migratory birds cover distance more quickly and arrive at the breeding grounds sooner; alternatively, thrushes with more pointed wingtips and lower wing-loading may have departed from the wintering grounds earlier. If wing shape and size affect rate of migration, these variables may be important determinants of individual quality in migratory passerines. El Sexo, la Forma de las Puntas de las Alas y la Carga Alar Predicen la Fecha de Arribo de Catharus ustulatus a un Sitio de Escala Migratoria

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Shifting of the Migration Route of White-Naped Crane (Antigone vipio) Due to Wetland Loss in China

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13152984 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 2984

Author(s):

Yifei Jia ◽

Yunzhu Liu ◽

Shengwu Jiao ◽

Jia Guo ◽

Cai Lu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Wetland Loss ◽

Migration Route ◽

Bohai Bay ◽

Migration Routes ◽

Utilization Distribution ◽

Stopover Site ◽

Conservation Actions

In the last 15 years, the west population of white-naped crane (Antigone vipio) decreased dramatically despite the enhanced conservation actions in both breeding and wintering areas. Recent studies highlighted the importance of protecting the integrity of movement connectivity for migratory birds. Widespread and rapid landcover changes may exceed the adaptive capacity of migrants, leading to the collapse of migratory networks. In this study, using satellite tracking data, we modeled and characterized the migration routes of the white-naped crane at three spatial levels (core area, migratory corridor, and migratory path) based on the utilization distribution for two eras (1990s and 2010s) spanning 20 years. Our analysis demonstrated that the white-naped crane shifted its migratory route, which is supported by other lines of evidences. The widespread loss of wetlands, especially within the stopover sites, might have caused this behavioral adaptation. Moreover, our analysis indicated that the long-term sustainability of the new route is untested and likely to be questionable. Therefore, directing conservation effects to the new route might be insufficient for the long-term wellbeing of this threatened crane and large-scale wetland restorations in Bohai Bay, a critical stopover site in the East Asian-Australasian flyway, are of the utmost importance to the conservation of this species.

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The amount of available food affects diurnal locomotor activity in migratory songbirds during stopover

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-55404-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Andrea Ferretti ◽

Ivan Maggini ◽

Sara Lupi ◽

Massimiliano Cardinale ◽

Leonida Fusani

Keyword(s):

Locomotor Activity ◽

Food Availability ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Migratory Restlessness ◽

Locomotory Activity ◽

Central Mediterranean ◽

Stopover Site ◽

Stopover Sites ◽

Migrating Birds ◽

Spring Stopover

AbstractMigratory passerine birds fly long distances twice a year alternating nocturnal flights with stopovers to rest and replenish energy stores. The duration of each stopover depends on several factors including internal clocks, meteorological conditions, and environmental factors such as availability of food. Foraging entails energetic costs, and if birds need to refuel efficiently, they should modulate their activity in relation to food availability. We investigated how food availability influences locomotor activity in migrating birds of six passerine species at a spring stopover site in the central Mediterranean Sea. We selected birds with low fat scores which we expected to be strongly motivated to refuel. We simulated stopover sites of different quality by providing temporarily caged birds with different amounts of food to simulate scarce to abundant food. We analysed the diurnal locomotory activity as a proxy for food searching effort. Low food availability resulted in an increased diurnal locomotor activity in almost all species, while all birds showed low intensity of nocturnal migratory restlessness. In conclusion, our study shows that food availability in an important determinant of behaviour of migratory birds at stopover sites.

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