scholarly journals Migratory restlessness and stopover duration in Wood sandpiper Tringa glareola

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Vanni ◽  
Giulia Cerritelli ◽  
Alessandro Turchi ◽  
Dimitri Giunchi
The Auk ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 136 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica E Deakin ◽  
Christopher G Guglielmo ◽  
Yolanda E Morbey

Abstract Most seasonally migrating songbirds exhibit protandry, whereby males arrive to breeding sites in the spring before females. The proximate behavioral mechanisms of protandry are largely unknown for most species, but could include earlier migratory departure from wintering sites by males or overall faster migration by males. Using onset and intensity of migratory restlessness as proxies for departure timing and rate of migration, respectively, we evaluated these 2 hypothesized mechanisms in a Nearctic–Neotropical migrating songbird, the Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens). Birds were captured during fall migration, held in captivity over winter, and photostimulated in the spring to induce migratory behavior. Video analysis was used to separately quantify stereotypical nocturnal wing whirring and jumping migratory restlessness behaviors. The birds were then radio-tagged and released in mid-May to compare stopover duration between the sexes and validate migratory restlessness in captivity as a proxy for the motivation to migrate in the field. In captivity males initiated migratory restlessness earlier in the spring than females, demonstrating innate differences in the onset of spring migration in this species. Males also displayed higher-intensity wing whirring behavior, suggesting potential sex differences in flight behavior that could influence migration rate. We found no sex differences in stopover duration in the field following release. However, stopover duration was negatively correlated with total migratory restlessness intensity on the last night the birds were held in captivity, which supports migratory restlessness as a proxy for the motivation to migrate at the individual level.


2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 20130712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cas Eikenaar ◽  
Jan Laszlo Schläfke

Early arrival at the breeding site positively affects the breeding success of migratory birds. During migration, birds spend most of their time at stopovers. Therefore, determining which factors shape stopover duration is essential to our understanding of avian migration. Because the main purpose of stopover is to accumulate fat as fuel for the next flight bout, fuel reserves at arrival and the accumulation of fuel are both expected to affect stopover departure decisions. Here, we determined whether fuel reserves and fuel accumulation predict a bird's motivation to depart, as quantified by nocturnal migratory restlessness (Zugunruhe), using northern wheatears ( Oenanthe oenanthe ) that were captured and temporarily contained at spring stopover. We found that fuel reserves at capture were positively correlated with Zugunruhe, and negatively correlated with fuel accumulation. This indicates that fat birds were motivated to depart, whereas lean birds were set on staying and accumulating fuel. Moreover, the change in fuel reserves was positively correlated with the concurrent change in Zugunruhe, providing the first empirical evidence for a direct link between fuel accumulation and Zugunruhe during stopover. Our study indicates that, together with innate rhythms and weather, the size and accumulation of fuel reserves shape stopover duration, and hence overall migration time.


2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1734) ◽  
pp. 20160247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide M. Dominoni ◽  
Susanne Åkesson ◽  
Raymond Klaassen ◽  
Kamiel Spoelstra ◽  
Martin Bulla

Chronobiological research has seen a continuous development of novel approaches and techniques to measure rhythmicity at different levels of biological organization from locomotor activity (e.g. migratory restlessness) to physiology (e.g. temperature and hormone rhythms, and relatively recently also in genes, proteins and metabolites). However, the methodological advancements in this field have been mostly and sometimes exclusively used only in indoor laboratory settings. In parallel, there has been an unprecedented and rapid improvement in our ability to track animals and their behaviour in the wild. However, while the spatial analysis of tracking data is widespread, its temporal aspect is largely unexplored. Here, we review the tools that are available or have potential to record rhythms in the wild animals with emphasis on currently overlooked approaches and monitoring systems. We then demonstrate, in three question-driven case studies, how the integration of traditional and newer approaches can help answer novel chronobiological questions in free-living animals. Finally, we highlight unresolved issues in field chronobiology that may benefit from technological development in the future. As most of the studies in the field are descriptive, the future challenge lies in applying the diverse technologies to experimental set-ups in the wild. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Wild clocks: integrating chronobiology and ecology to understand timekeeping in free-living animals’.


PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3201 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P.L. Toews ◽  
Kira E. Delmore ◽  
Matthew M. Osmond ◽  
Philip D. Taylor ◽  
Darren E. Irwin

Background Zones of contact between closely related taxa with divergent migratory routes, termed migratory divides, have been suggested as areas where hybrid offspring may have intermediate and inferior migratory routes, resulting in low fitness of hybrids and thereby promoting speciation. In the Rocky Mountains of Canada there is a narrow hybrid zone between Audubon’s and myrtle warblers that is likely maintained by selection against hybrids. Band recoveries and isotopic studies indicate that this hybrid zone broadly corresponds to the location of a possible migratory divide, with Audubon’s warblers migrating south-southwest and myrtle warblers migrating southeast. We tested a key prediction of the migratory divide hypothesis: that genetic background would be predictive of migratory orientation among warblers in the center of the hybrid zone. Methods We recorded fall migratory orientation of wild-caught migrating warblers in the center of the hybrid zone as measured by video-based monitoring of migratory restlessness in circular orientation chambers. We then tested whether there was a relationship between migratory orientation and genetic background, as measured using a set of species-specific diagnostic genetic markers. Results We did not detect a significant association between orientation and genetic background. There was large variation among individuals in orientation direction. Mean orientation was towards the NE, surprising for birds on fall migration, but aligned with the mountain valley in which the study took place. Conclusions Only one other study has directly analyzed migratory orientation among naturally-produced hybrids in a migratory divide. While the other study showed an association between genetic background and orientation, we did not observe such an association in yellow-rumped warblers. We discuss possible reasons, including the possibility of a lack of a strong migratory divide in this hybrid zone and/or methodological limitations that may have prevented accurate measurements of long-distance migratory orientation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 317 ◽  
pp. 285-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Rivalan ◽  
R Pradel ◽  
R Choquet ◽  
M Girondot ◽  
AC Prévot-Julliard

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 180876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley R. Robart ◽  
Mali M. K. McGuire ◽  
Heather E. Watts

The transition to a migratory state involves coordinated changes in physiology and behaviour. In species with regular, predictable (obligate) migrations, increasing day length triggers the expression of a spring migratory state and androgens play an important role in stimulating its development. By contrast, we know little about the environmental cues and endocrine mechanisms that regulate migration in species with less predictable (facultative) migrations. Here, we tested whether photoperiod stimulates a migratory state in a facultative nomadic migrant, the pine siskin ( Spinus pinus ). We exposed wintering birds to either a naturally increasing or short-day photoperiod and measured physiological and behavioural changes indicative of a migratory state. We also examined changes in circulating hormones that may play a role in the migratory transition. Natural-day, but not short-day, birds displayed physiological preparations for migration, including increases in fat deposition, and showed increased levels of migratory restlessness. We found no evidence for a role of corticosterone in the migratory transition, but testosterone may be important. This study is the first experimental test of the role of photoperiod in regulating facultative migration and demonstrates that the predictive cue used by many obligate migrants to time spring migration is also important in a facultative migrant.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2208
Author(s):  
Bernice Goffin ◽  
Marcial Felgueiras ◽  
Anouschka R. Hof

Many long-distance migratory bird species are in decline, of which environmental changes, such as climate change and land-use changes, are thought to be important drivers. The effects of environmental change on the migration of these birds have often been studied during spring migration. Fewer studies have explored the impacts of environmental change on autumn migration, especially at stopover sites. However, stopover sites are important, as the quality of these sites is expected to change over time. We investigated impacts of local environmental conditions on the migration strategy and body condition of the Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) at an autumn migration stopover site using long-term ringing data (1996–2018) and local environmental conditions. We found that although the arrival and departure dates of birds at the stopover site remained unchanged, the body condition (fat score) of the individuals caught decreased, and the stopover duration increased. This suggests that conditions at the stopover site during the autumn migration period have deteriorated over time. This study emphasizes the importance of suitable stopover sites for migratory birds and stresses that changes in environmental conditions during the autumn migration period may be contributing to the current decline in long-distance migratory passerines.


Behaviour ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 143 (10) ◽  
pp. 1219-1240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn Ramenofsky ◽  
Renée Agatsuma

AbstractGambel's white-crown sparrow (Zonotorichia leucophrys gambelii) is a long-distance, over-land migrant. In captivity birds display many characteristics of the autumn and spring migratory life history stages that include hyperphagia, fattening and high intensity nocturnal activity termed migratory restlessness or Zugunruhe. We recorded the behaviour of captive birds while simultaneously collecting 24 h locomotor activity. These data were used to define the behaviour displayed by captive birds during autumn and spring in order to compare the two migratory stages and to draw inferences for free-living birds. The predominant behaviour during day and nighttime was rest. Feeding occurred only during daylight hours but at a greater frequency in autumn than spring. Birds generally used their feet as the primary source of locomotion during the day termed 'jump'. During the night, two distinct behaviours, 'beak-up flight' and 'beak-up' involving high intensity wing motions were observed and considered components of migratory restlessness. The frequency of the 'beak-up flight' was greatest during spring and associated with the enhanced tempo of vernal migration. In both stages, migratory restlessness was preceded by a quiescent phase, the occurrence of which differed and related to time available for foraging and length of the night. Given these findings, we hypothesize that diel behaviours displayed by autumn and spring migrants in captivity highlight distinctions between the two life history stages.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document