Husbandry of wild‐caught song sparrows (<i>Melospiza melodia</i>)

Smith, Lori; Hallager, Sara; Kendrick, E. L.; Hope, Katharine; Danner, Raymond M.

doi:10.1002/zoo.21415

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Due to their year-round territoriality, male Song Sparrows should be housed individually to avoid fighting (Smith, Hallager, Kendrick, Hope, & Danner, 2018). The aviaries were similar in size (3.9 × 3.5 × 2.5 m and 3.5 × 3.1 × 2.5 m).…”

Section: Photoperiod Treatment and Bird Carementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The aviaries were similar in size (3.9 × 3.5 × 2.5 m and 3.5 × 3.1 × 2.5 m). Due to their year-round territoriality, male Song Sparrows should be housed individually to avoid fighting (Smith, Hallager, Kendrick, Hope, & Danner, 2018). Thus, we individually housed each bird in a cage (0.6 × 0.6 × 0.5 m) and arranged four stacks of three cages, with each stack spaced 1.8 m from the stack across from it to standardize cage spacing in the aviary.…”

Section: Photoperiod Treatment and Bird Carementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Perceived wintering latitude determines timing of song output in a migratory bird

Brewer

McGill

Fudickar

2019

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Migratory bird populations frequently consist of individuals that overwinter variable distances from the breeding site. Seasonal changes in photoperiod, which varies with latitude, underlie seasonal changes in singing frequency in birds. Therefore, migratory populations that consist of individuals that overwinter at different latitudes with large overwintering ranges could experience within-population variation in seasonal production of song. To test the influence of overwintering latitude on intrapopulation variance in song production in the spring, we subjected two groups of Eastern Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia melodia) from the same partially migratory breeding population to different photoperiodic schedules associated with a 1,300-km difference in overwintering location. One group remained on the natural photoperiodic schedule of the breeding site (resident group) while the other group experienced a nonbreeding photoperiod that mimicked a southern migration in the fall followed by a northern migration back to the breeding site in the spring (migratory group). We compared song output between the two groups in three different stages (nonbreeding, prebreeding, and breeding). Little singing occurred during nonbreeding stage sample dates (20 November, 6 December) for the resident group, and no singing occurred for the migrant group. During the prebreeding stage (27 January, 7 February), significantly more singing occurred in the resident group than in the migrant group. During the breeding stage (21 March, 4 April), after a simulated migration for the migrants, song output was similar in both groups. These results suggest that within-population variation in wintering latitude may contribute to variation in seasonal changes in singing behavior, which may covary with readiness to breed. Studies utilizing confirmed migrants and residents, rather than merely simulated migrants and residents, are also needed to better understand these processes. K E Y W O R D Sbirdsong, connectivity, partial migration, photoperiod, timing | 749 BREWER Et al.

show abstract

Section: Photoperiod Treatment and Bird Carementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Photoperiod Treatment and Bird Carementioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived wintering latitude determines timing of song output in a migratory bird

Brewer

McGill

Fudickar

2019

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Acute stress and restricted diet reduce bill-mediated heat dissipation in the song sparrow (Melospiza melodia): implications for optimal thermoregulation

Zuluaga

Danner

2023

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We used thermal imaging to show that two environmental factors—acute stress and diet—influence thermoregulatory performance of a known thermal window, the avian bill. The bill plays important roles in thermoregulation and water balance. Given that heat loss through the bill is adjustable through vasoconstriction and vasodilation, and acute stress can cause vasoconstriction in peripheral body surfaces, we hypothesized that stress may influence the bill's role as a thermal window. We further hypothesized that diet influences heat dissipation from the bill given that body condition influences the surface temperature of another body region (the eye region). We measured the surface temperature of the bills of song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) before, during, and after handling by an observer at 37°C ambient temperature. We fed five birds a restricted diet intended to maintain bodyweights typical of wild birds, and we fed six birds an unrestricted diet for five months prior to experiments. Acute stress caused a decrease in the surface temperature of the bill, resulting in a 32.4% decrease in heat dissipation immediately following acute stress, before recovering over approximately 2.3 minutes. The initial reduction and subsequent recovery provide partial support for the haemoprotective and thermoprotective hypotheses, which predict a reduction or increase in peripheral blood flow, respectively. Birds with unrestricted diets had larger bills and dissipated more heat, indicating that diet and body condition influence bill-mediated heat dissipation and thermoregulation. These results indicate that stress-induced vascular changes and diet can influence mechanisms of heat loss and potentially inhibit optimal thermoregulation.

show abstract

Husbandry of wild‐caught song sparrows (Melospiza melodia)

Cited by 2 publications

References 6 publications

Perceived wintering latitude determines timing of song output in a migratory bird

Perceived wintering latitude determines timing of song output in a migratory bird

Acute stress and restricted diet reduce bill-mediated heat dissipation in the song sparrow (Melospiza melodia): implications for optimal thermoregulation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About