Endogenous migratory behaviour in a diurnally migrating songbird

Stey, Kim; Röseler, Dennis; Bairlein, Franz

doi:10.1007/s10336-017-1440-0

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Our finding of a February peak and a spring nadir in fat deposits is consistent with previous studies of American goldfinches in our study region in southeast MI (Dawson and Marsh, 1986), and with body composition analysis that found peak lipid content and body mass from December through February (Carey et al, 1978). These data support the importance of fat for small-bodied songbirds in winter and suggest that either migratory fueling is low in these diurnal partial migrants, as for other diurnal migrants (Bojarinova et al, 2008;Stey et al, 2017), or that our sample did not include enough active migrants to detect it.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Given that many facultative migrants do not have consistent migratory routes and destinations across years, fattening may reflect insurance against uncertainty about refueling opportunities. In partial migrant systems, movements may be programmed and consistent, but only in particular populations [e.g., more northerly populations: Linnets (Linaria cannabina; Stey et al, 2017); goldcrests (Regulus regulus; Bojarinova et al, 2008) or subsets of populations (e.g., females and juveniles in European blackbirds (Turdus merula; Lundberg, 1985;Fudickar et al, 2013) and dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis; Holberton, 1993)]. The migratory individuals in these populations show more fattening during the migratory season than do their resident counterparts (Lundberg, 1985;Jahn et al, 2010;Fudickar et al, 2013), but see Holberton (1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal Patterns of Fat Deposits in Relation to Migratory Strategy in Facultative Migrants

et al. 2021

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Physiological preparations for migration generally reflect migratory strategy. Migrant birds fuel long-distance flight primarily with lipids, but carrying excess fuel is costly; thus, the amount of fat deposited prior to departure often reflects the anticipated flight duration or distance between refueling bouts. Seasonal pre-migratory deposition of fat is well documented in regular seasonal migrants, but is less described for more facultative species. We analyze fat deposits of free-living birds across several taxa of facultative migrants in the songbird subfamily Carduelinae, including house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus), American goldfinches (Spinus tristis), pine siskins (Spinus pinus) and four different North American ecotypes of red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra), to evaluate seasonal fat deposition during facultative migratory periods. Our data suggest that the extent of seasonal fat deposits corresponds with migratory tendency in these facultative taxa. Specifically, nomadic red crossbills with a seasonally predictable annual movement demonstrated relatively large seasonal fat deposits coincident with the migratory periods. In contrast, pine siskins, thought to be more variable in timing and initiation of nomadic movements, had smaller peaks in fat deposits during the migratory season, and the partial migrant American goldfinch and the resident house finch showed no peaks coincident with migratory periods. Within the red crossbills, those ecotypes that are closely associated with pine habitats showed larger peaks in fat deposits coincident with autumn migratory periods and had higher wing loading, whereas those ecotypes associated with spruces, Douglas-fir and hemlocks showed larger peaks coincident with spring migratory periods and lower wing loading. We conclude that population averages of fat deposits do reflect facultative migration strategies in these species, as well as the winter thermogenic challenges at the study locations. A difference in seasonal fattening and wing loading among red crossbill ecotypes is consistent with the possibility that they differ in their migratory biology, and we discuss these differences in light of crossbill reproductive schedules and phenologies of different conifer species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Patterns of Fat Deposits in Relation to Migratory Strategy in Facultative Migrants

et al. 2021

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“…Moreover, such activity occurs at a species-and/or population-speci c time of the year and follows speci c circadian patterns (Schmaljohann et al 2015;Ilieva et al 2023). Most of our knowledge on temporal patterns of migratory activity between and within migratory seasons comes from experimental studies on small passerine birds that exclusively migrate either at night (reviewed in Berthold 1996;Gwinner 1996a;Gwinner 1996b) or during the daytime (Berthold 1996; Ramenofsky et al 2012; Bojarinova and Babushkina 2015; Stey et al 2017). Our knowledge of species that combine both diurnal and nocturnal movements is very scarce (Berthold 1978;Lundberg 1981; Watts et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-specific migration strategies and underlying physiology contribute to spring arrival protandry in a songbird

Bojarinova,

Demina,

Chetverikova

et al. 2024

Preprint

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In spring, many migrating songbirds exhibit protandry (the phenomenon whereby males precede females in arrival at breeding sites). The reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) is a short-distance migrant which expresses a high degree of protandry and combines both nocturnal and diurnal movements during migrations. In experimental conditions, we studied the proximate mechanisms of protandry and compared locomotor behavior between spring and autumn migrations. We assumed that captive behavior is a proxy for the behavior that birds demonstrate in the wild. Combined, the analysis of seasonal patterns and circadian dynamics of locomotor activity suggested that male reed buntings depart from wintering grounds by daytime flights approximately two weeks earlier than females. Later, they develop nocturnal activity, take off shortly before dawn and continue their flight for several hours in the morning. We argue that such behavior allows males to benefit from both the advantage of nocturnal flight and an efficient start of foraging, thereby reducing the stopover duration (by minimizing search/settling costs) and increasing the total migration speed. In contrast, females migrate predominantly at night in spring. Sex-related variation in behavior was accompanied by differences in energetic conditions; males in spring had, on average, lower fat reserves. However, leukocyte profile parameters were similar in males and females. In contrast, in autumn, both sexes display similar levels/dynamics of locomotor activity and fat reserves. Overall, our results describe unique sex-specific migratory behaviour and physiology in reed buntings in spring, which, we assume, contribute to spring arrival protandry in this species.

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“…For example, captive birds exposed to constant light : dark cycles show migratory activity (i.e. ‘Zugunruhe’ or migratory restlessness) that coincides with known migration of their free-living conspecifics, indicating that migratory timing is innate [ 6 , 12 , 13 ]. However, the timing of ‘Zugunruhe’ in captive birds starts to drift without adjustments to photoperiod, highlighting the importance of light-input pathways for correcting such drift (reviewed in [ 14 , 15 ]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clock-linked genes underlie seasonal migratory timing in a diurnal raptor

et al. 2022

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Seasonal migration is a dynamic natural phenomenon that allows organisms to exploit favourable habitats across the annual cycle. While the morphological, physiological and behavioural changes associated with migratory behaviour are well characterized, the genetic basis of migration and its link to endogenous biological time-keeping pathways are poorly understood. Historically, genome-wide research has focused on genes of large effect, whereas many genes of small effect may work together to regulate complex traits like migratory behaviour. Here, we explicitly relax stringent outlier detection thresholds and, as a result, discover how multiple biological time-keeping genes are important to migratory timing in an iconic raptor species, the American kestrel ( Falco sparverius ). To validate the role of candidate loci in migratory timing, we genotyped kestrels captured across autumn migration and found significant associations between migratory timing and genetic variation in metabolic and light-input pathway genes that modulate biological clocks ( top1, phlpp1, cpne4 and peak1) . Further, we demonstrate that migrating individuals originated from a single panmictic source population, suggesting the existence of distinct early and late migratory genotypes (i.e. chronotypes). Overall, our results provide empirical support for the existence of a within-population-level polymorphism in genes underlying migratory timing in a diurnally migrating raptor.

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Endogenous migratory behaviour in a diurnally migrating songbird

Cited by 7 publications

References 31 publications

Seasonal Patterns of Fat Deposits in Relation to Migratory Strategy in Facultative Migrants

Seasonal Patterns of Fat Deposits in Relation to Migratory Strategy in Facultative Migrants

Sex-specific migration strategies and underlying physiology contribute to spring arrival protandry in a songbird

Clock-linked genes underlie seasonal migratory timing in a diurnal raptor

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