The importance of cavity roosting and hypothermia to the energy balance of the winter acclimatized Carolina chickadee

Mayer, Larry; Lustick, Sheldon; Battersby, Brian

doi:10.1007/bf02184939

Cited by 48 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Our results suggest that the advantage of cavity roosting (Kendeigh 1961;Mayer et al 1982;Cooper 1999) diminishes with smaller fluctuations in the ambient temperature and (in dead trees) with increasing nighttime ambient temperature. Hence, roosting at open sites may be a superior strategy to the cavity roosting during periods of such weather, as indicated by fewer birds spending nights in nest boxes when winter temperatures increased (Busse and Olech 1968).…”

Section: Implications For Roosting Birdsmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…Temperature is an important feature of the roosting environment, because it directly determines how much energy a bird expends during the night (Mayer et al 1982;Du Plessis and Williams 1994). Our results suggest that the advantage of cavity roosting (Kendeigh 1961;Mayer et al 1982;Cooper 1999) diminishes with smaller fluctuations in the ambient temperature and (in dead trees) with increasing nighttime ambient temperature.…”

Section: Implications For Roosting Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microclimate of tree cavities during winter nights—implications for roost site selection in birds

Paclík

Weidinger

2007

Int J Biometeorol

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We examined the relationships between cavity temperature, ambient temperature outside the cavity and structural characteristics of 70 cavities measured for 1 night to determine if cavity roosting birds may potentially select warmer tree cavities for wintertime roosting. The mean temperature increment of the cavity (=cavity-ambient temperature) varied from -2.4 to 4.9 degrees C and increased with higher day-to-night fluctuations in the ambient temperature, smaller cavity entrance and better health status of the cavity tree. Cavities in healthy trees were warmer than those in dead trees, but this difference disappeared with rising mean ambient temperatures. This interaction between the effects of tree health status and mean ambient temperature, as well as the effect of day-to-night fluctuations in the ambient temperature, were supported by the analysis of repeated measurements of temperature taken on 12 consecutive nights in five cavities. The variability in cavity microclimates makes the selection of warmer roost sites possible, and the predictors of microclimate may provide indirect cues to prospecting birds.

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Section: Implications For Roosting Birdsmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Implications For Roosting Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microclimate of tree cavities during winter nights—implications for roost site selection in birds

Paclík

Weidinger

2007

Int J Biometeorol

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“…The overnight metabolic rate did not differ between seasons (although the winter birds experienced the coldest temperatures of the day), suggesting that cardinals may use nighttime hypothermia as an energy-saving mechanism. Previously, Mayer et al (Mayer et al, 1982) found that a combination of cavity roosting and night-time hypothermia in Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) accounted for 50% savings in energy expenditure. Cardinals are not cavity roosters; however, the actual role of hypothermia as an overnight energy-saving mechanism remains unexplored.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acclimatization of seasonal energetics in northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) through plasticity of metabolic rates and ceilings

Sgueo

Wells

Russell

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYNorthern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are faced with energetically expensive seasonal challenges that must be met to ensure survival, including thermoregulation in winter and reproductive activities in summer. Contrary to predictions of life history theory that suggest breeding metabolic rate should be the apex of energetic effort, winter metabolism exceeds that during breeding in several temperate resident bird species. By examining whole-animal, tissue and cellular function, we ask whether seasonal acclimatization is accomplished by coordinated phenotypic plasticity of metabolic systems. We measured summit metabolism (V O2,sum ), daily energy expenditure (DEE) and muscle oxidative capacity under both winter (December to January) and breeding (May to June) conditions. We hypothesize that: (1) rates of energy utilization will be highest in the winter, contrary to predictions based on life history theory, and (2) acclimatization of metabolism will occur at multiple levels of organization such that birds operate with a similar metabolic ceiling during different seasons. We measured field metabolic rates using heart rate telemetry and report the first daily patterns in avian field metabolic rate. Patterns of daily energy use differed seasonally, primarily as birds maintain high metabolic rates throughout the winter daylight hours. We found that DEE and V O2,sum were significantly greater and DEE occurred at a higher fraction of maximum metabolic capacity during winter, indicating an elevation of the metabolic ceiling. Surprisingly, there were no significant differences in mass or oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle. These data, highlighting the importance of examining energetic responses to seasonal challenges at multiple levels, clearly reject life history predictions that breeding is the primary energetic challenge for temperate zone residents. Further, they indicate that metabolic ceilings are seasonally flexible as metabolic effort during winter thermoregulation exceeds that of breeding. Supplementary material available online at

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“…He found that this type of roost significantly reduces radiative and convective heat losses from goldfinches as compared with the situation in nearby unprotected locations. Some birds use cavities in trees and in other structures (Knorr 1957;Zonov 1967Zonov , 1982Kendeigh 1961;Korhonen 1981;Mayer et al 1982) or nests for roosting (Bent 1946;Caccamise and Weathers 1977;Weatherhead et al 1985). The 6-7-g verdin (Auriparusjlaviceps), a North American desert bird, is of particular interest in this connection, for it constructs and utilizes'domed winter nests that afford considerable thermal protection on cold nights (Bent 1946;Buttemer et al 1987).…”

Section: Behavior Serving To Reduce Heat Loss In the Coldmentioning

confidence: 98%

Avian Adjustments to Cold

Marsh

Dawson

1989

Advances in Comparative and Environmental Physiology

112

104

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The importance of cavity roosting and hypothermia to the energy balance of the winter acclimatized Carolina chickadee

Cited by 48 publications

References 10 publications

Microclimate of tree cavities during winter nights—implications for roost site selection in birds

Microclimate of tree cavities during winter nights—implications for roost site selection in birds

Acclimatization of seasonal energetics in northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) through plasticity of metabolic rates and ceilings

Avian Adjustments to Cold

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