Differential Use of Thermal Convection by Soaring Birds Over Central Israel

Shamoun-Baranes, Judy; Leshem, Yossi; Yom‐Tov, Yoram; Liechti, Olivier

doi:10.1650/0010-5422(2003)105[0208:duotcb]2.0.co;2

Cited by 61 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The variability recorded in flight speed during migration has been explained in the white stork by the combination of three factors: prevalence of tailwinds, thermal convection and food availability (Liechti et al 1996;Shamoun-Baranes et al 2003a;Klaassen et al 2008). For the black stork, we will first consider the influence of Weather conditions and flight D. Chevallier et al 2761 Proc.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, it has been suggested (Å kesson & Hedenströ m 2007;Weber & Houston 1997) that tailwind is a prerequisite for successful migratory travel in several species. Flight speeds recorded in small passerine birds and soaring birds flying without favourable wind conditions range from 25 to 40 km h 21 , and between 60 and 70 km h 21 for Anseriformes (Pennycuick 1972(Pennycuick , 1975(Pennycuick , 1989Alerstam 1976;Porter et al 1983;Tsovel & Allon 1991;Spaar & Bruderer 1996;Bruderer et al 1999;Shamoun-Baranes et al 2003a). With the help of strong tailwinds, flight speeds can reach up to 180 km h 21 in Ciconiiformes (mainly Ardeidae) (Liechti & Schaller 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of weather conditions on the flight of migrating black storks

et al. 2010

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This study tested the potential influence of meteorological parameters (temperature, humidity, wind direction, thermal convection) on different migration characteristics (namely flight speed, altitude and direction and daily distance) in 16 black storks (Ciconia nigra). The birds were tracked by satellite during their entire autumnal and spring migration, from 1998 to 2006. Our data reveal that during their 27-day-long migration between Europe and Africa (mean distance of 4100 km), the periods of maximum flight activity corresponded to periods of maximum thermal energy, underlining the importance of atmospheric thermal convection in the migratory flight of the black stork. In some cases, tailwind was recorded at the same altitude and position as the birds, and was associated with a significant rise in flight speed, but wind often produced a side azimuth along the birds' migratory route. Whatever the season, the distance travelled daily was on average shorter in Europe than in Africa, with values of 200 and 270 km d 21 , respectively. The fastest instantaneous flight speeds of up to 112 km h 21 were also observed above Africa. This observation confirms the hypothesis of thermal-dependant flight behaviour, and also reveals differences in flight costs between Europe and Africa. Furthermore, differences in food availability, a crucial factor for black storks during their flight between Europe and Africa, may also contribute to the above-mentioned shift in daily flight speeds.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of weather conditions on the flight of migrating black storks

et al. 2010

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“…Soaring-gliding species (mostly large birds) spend most of their time foraging within their home range (or in their wintering grounds), with movement at this scale motivated by a diverse set of needs [10,11]. Yet, soaring-gliding flight has been investigated mostly by observing differences among species, and mostly limited to the context of long-distance migration [12][13][14][15]. While traditional tracking methods allow biologists to describe space-use patterns of individuals, recent technological advances provide the means to approach the short time-scales at which decision-making takes place.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision-making by a soaring bird: time, energy and risk considerations at different spatio-temporal scales

Harel

Duriez

Spiegel

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 17 to a theme issue 'Moving in a moving medium: new perspectives on flight'. Natural selection theory suggests that mobile animals trade off time, energy and risk costs with food, safety and other pay-offs obtained by movement. We examined how birds make movement decisions by integrating aspects of flight biomechanics, movement ecology and behaviour in a hierarchical framework investigating flight track variation across several spatio-temporal scales. Using extensive global positioning system and accelerometer data from Eurasian griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) in Israel and France, we examined soaring-gliding decision-making by comparing inbound versus outbound flights (to or from a central roost, respectively), and these (and other) homerange foraging movements (up to 300 km) versus long-range movements (longer than 300 km). We found that long-range movements and inbound flights have similar features compared with their counterparts: individuals reduced journey time by performing more efficient soaring -gliding flight, reduced energy expenditure by flapping less and were more risk-prone by gliding more steeply between thermals. Age, breeding status, wind conditions and flight altitude (but not sex) affected time and energy prioritization during flights. We therefore suggest that individuals facing time, energy and risk trade-offs during movements make similar decisions across a broad range of ecological contexts and spatial scales, presumably owing to similarity in the uncertainty about movement outcomes.This article is part of the themed issue 'Moving in a moving medium: new perspectives on flight'.

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“…(ii) A coarser scale (tens of km and few hours), which provides a convenient source of information, because data from regional atmospheric models and miniature measurement devices are available at this regional scale. Some tactical decisions about migration movement are probably made at the coarser scale when perceived information is aggregated (e.g., [14][15][16]. For convenience, we refer to this coarser scale as the ''hourly scale,'' and we use the hourly scale as a surrogate to the micromechanistic scale to determine how appropriate and useful information at this resolution can be to study migration movement.…”

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confidence: 99%

Movement ecology of migration in turkey vultures

Mandel

Bildstein

Bohrer

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

114

143

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We develop individual-based movement ecology models (MEM) to explore turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) migration decisions at both hourly and daily scales. Vulture movements in 10 migration events were recorded with satellite-reporting GPS sensors, and flight behavior was observed visually, aided by on-the-ground VHF radio-tracking. We used the North American Regional Reanalysis dataset to obtain values for wind speed, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and cloud height and used a digital elevation model for a measure of terrain ruggedness. A turkey vulture fitted with a heart-rate logger during 124 h of flight during 38 contiguous days showed only a small increase in mean heart rate as distance traveled per day increased, which suggests that, unlike flapping, soaring flight does not lead to greatly increased metabolic costs. Data from 10 migrations for 724 hourly segments and 152 daily segments showed that vultures depended heavily upon high levels of TKE in the atmospheric boundary layer to increase flight distances and maintain preferred bearings at both hourly and daily scales. We suggest how the MEM can be extended to other spatial and temporal scales of avian migration. Our success in relating model-derived atmospheric variables to migration indicates the potential of using regional reanalysis data, as here, and potentially other regional, higher-resolution, atmospheric models in predicting changing movement patterns of soaring birds under various scenarios of climate and land use change.energetics ͉ flight ͉ meteorology T raditionally, bird migration has been treated separately relative to other movements within an individual's life history (1-2). Although long-distance migration operates on different scales and produces different patterns than those of other movement types in a bird's life cycle, there are also many similarities (cf. ref.3). As in other biotic movements, migration involves the assessment of internal state of the organism, external factors, and past behavior to make decisions about motion and navigation (4).One significant challenge of migration research is measuring the extent to which migratory routes and schedules of individual migrants are influenced by external factors, including wind direction and speed (5-6), food availability and habitat (2), and the behavior of other migrants (1, 7). One important axis of variation among migratory birds is the extent to which environmental factors act as facilitators of, as opposed to barriers to, movement. Determining the effects of environmental factors is particularly important for soaring birds, whose movements rely upon environmental factors such as deflection updrafts and thermal convection as their principle means of propulsion, whereas those using primarily flapping flight are, in principal, not directly dependent on environmental forces for propulsion and lift. Although we recognize that this categorization can be overly simplistic (see, for example, ref. 8) and that other categorizations based on ecological function exist (9-10), the dichoto...

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Differential Use of Thermal Convection by Soaring Birds Over Central Israel

Cited by 61 publications

References 8 publications

Influence of weather conditions on the flight of migrating black storks

Influence of weather conditions on the flight of migrating black storks

Decision-making by a soaring bird: time, energy and risk considerations at different spatio-temporal scales

Movement ecology of migration in turkey vultures

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