Wing length and age, but not tarsus or mass, independently determine spring arrival at breeding territories in a long-distance migrant the Common Whitethroat,<i>Sylvia communis</i>

Risely, Alice; Nightingale, Josh; Richardson, David S.; Barr, Iain

doi:10.1080/00063657.2013.846293

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Carryover effects are well documented across other stages of songbird life histories (e.g. wintering to breeding season; Marra et al 1998, Robb et al 2008, Risely et al 2013), but comparatively little is known about the transition from the pre-to post-fledging period (Vitz and Rodewald 2011).…”

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Variation in nestling body condition and wing development predict cause‐specific mortality in fledgling dickcissels

Jones

Ward

Benson

et al. 2016

Journal of Avian Biology

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Phenotypic traits developed in one life‐history stage can carryover and affect survival in subsequent stages. For songbirds, carryover effects from the pre‐ to post‐fledging period may be crucial for survival but are poorly understood. We assessed whether juvenile body condition and wing development at fledging influenced survival during the post‐fledging period in the dickcissel Spiza americana. We found pre‐ to post‐fledging carryover effects on fledgling survival for both traits during the ‘early part’ – first four days – of the post‐fledging period. Survival benefits of each trait depended on cause‐specific sources of mortality; individuals in better body condition were less likely to die from exposure to adverse environmental conditions, whereas those with more advanced wing development were less likely to be preyed upon. Fledglings with more advanced wing development were comparatively more active and mobile earlier in the post‐fledging period, suggesting they were better able to avoid predators. Our results provide some of the first evidence linking development of juvenile phenotypic traits to survival against specific sources of post‐fledging mortality in songbirds. Further investigation into pre‐ to post‐fledging carryover effects may yield important insights into avian life‐history evolution.

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confidence: 99%

Variation in nestling body condition and wing development predict cause‐specific mortality in fledgling dickcissels

Jones

Ward

Benson

et al. 2016

Journal of Avian Biology

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“…Sex was the strongest predictor of departure, with males departing territories on average 8 days before females, reflecting patterns observed on arrival at the breeding grounds in Whinchats (Tøttrup & Thorup 2008) and other migratory species (Francis & Cooke 1986, Cooper et al 2009). However, neither age nor body size appeared to have any relationship with timing of departure, although segregation by these traits is sometimes reported on arrival at the breeding grounds (Stewart et al 2002, Cooper et al 2009, Risely et al 2013.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Patterns in departure phenology and mass gain on African non‐breeding territories prior to theSahara crossing in a long‐distance migrant

Risely

Blackburn

Cresswell

2015

Ibis

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Afro‐Palaearctic migrants are declining to a greater degree than other European species, suggesting that processes occurring in Africa or on migration may be driving these trends. Constraints on food availability on the wintering grounds may contribute to these declines but little is known about when and where these resource constraints may occur. Sufficient resources are particularly important prior to spring migration, when migrants must cross the Sahara Desert. We examined mass gain and departure phenology in a long‐distance Palaearctic passerine migrant to determine the degree to which pre‐migratory fattening occurs in their long‐term non‐breeding territories in the Guinea Savannah region of Africa. We monitored 75 Whinchats Saxicola rubetra for departure from their non‐breeding territories in one spring, and analysed mass data of 377 Whinchats collected over three non‐breeding seasons plus 141 migrating Whinchats caught in April over 8 years, all within the same few square kilometres of human‐modified Guinea Savannah in central Nigeria. Whinchats left their winter territories throughout April, with males departing on average 8 days earlier than females. However, there was no evidence that time of departure from territory was linked to age, body size or mass at capture. Whinchats departed their territories with a predicted mass of 16.8 ± 0.3 g, considerably less than the c. 24 g required for the average Whinchat to cross the Sahara directly. Comparing departure dates with arrival dates in southern Europe showed a discrepancy of at least 2 weeks, suggesting that many Whinchats spend considerable time on pre‐migratory fuelling outside their winter territory prior to crossing the Sahara. Overwintering birds gained mass slowly during February and March (0.03 g/day), and non‐territorial or migrating birds at a much higher rate in April (at least 0.23 g/day), with up to 20% of migrating Whinchats in April potentially having sufficient fuel loads to cross the Sahara directly from central Nigeria. Our results suggest that most Whinchats leave their winter territories to fatten up locally or, possibly, by staging further north, closer to the southern limit of the Sahara. Resource constraints are therefore likely to be particularly focused in West Africa during mid‐April and possibly at staging areas before the crossing of the Sahara Desert.

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“…This is evidenced by positive relationships between wing length or wing‐loading and measures of flight performance in adult birds (e.g. Chandler & Mulvihill, ; Risely, Nightingale, Richardson, & Barr, ). Such results are similar to those found in juvenile spotted salamanders (Landberg & Azizi, ), where at early stages of ontogeny normalized tail area primary drives locomotor performance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Additionally, the presence of wing emergence-loading as a top predictor suggests that, like adult birds (e.g. Risely, Nightingale, Richardson, & Barr, 2013), there is some interaction between wing characteristics and body mass that helps drive juvenile flight performance. Ultimately, such findings are consistent with similar research linking morphological traits to measures of juvenile performance in other taxa, such as limb dimensions in toads and jackrabbits (Carrier, 1996;Goater et al, 1993), body size in anoles and snakes (Ischick et al, 2005;Jayne & Bennett, 1990) and tail area in salamanders (Landberg & Azizi, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Differences in these wing characteristics likely drive which factors are most important in determining fledgling flight ability across phases of wing ontogeny (e.g. macro-scale transmissivity vs. wing length or wing/disc loading) or wing-loading and measures of flight performance in adult birds (e.g Chandler & Mulvihill, 1992;Risely, Nightingale, Richardson, & Barr, 2013)…”

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confidence: 99%

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Does the size and developmental stage of traits at fledging reflect juvenile flight ability among songbirds?

2020

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Morphological traits can influence the ability of animals to perform ecologically relevant tasks that are essential for their growth, survival and fitness. Understanding such links in juvenile animals is of particular importance, as periods of juvenile life are often associated with high rates of mortality and can be critical with respect to evolution of life histories and viability of populations. To study such links, an important first step is to assess relationships between juvenile morphologies and measures of performance. Altricial songbirds can provide novel insights into morphology–performance relationships owing to the high locomotor demand placed on juveniles after they leave the nest. Therefore, we examined the relationships between the size and developmental stage of juvenile traits and juvenile flight ability among 13 coexisting songbirds in east‐central Illinois. Among potential traits, we focused on relationships between flight ability and four measures of wing development at fledging as well as two body measures thought to reflect an individual's overall quality and musculature. Among measures of wing development, wing emergence was the strongest, most consistent predictor of ability within and among species. Relative wing length and wing emergence‐loading were often good predictors of flight ability as well, while relative wing‐loading was rarely a good predictor. Estimates of body mass and body condition were poor, inconsistent predictors of flight ability both within and among species. Our results highlight the importance of wing development for flight performance of juvenile songbirds. Furthermore, our evaluation of different wing characteristics suggests that the importance of macro‐scale transmissivity and wing/disc loading towards flight ability changes with respect to juvenile ontogeny. Though mass likely interacts with wing characteristics in determining flight ability, our results suggest that body mass and condition are likely reflective of other, non‐flight measures of fledgling performance. Few studies on altricial songbirds have examined morphology–performance relationships in juveniles. By linking wing emergence with juvenile flight ability, our research has taken a first step in assessing the adaptive significance of variation in wing development for juvenile songbirds. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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Wing length and age, but not tarsus or mass, independently determine spring arrival at breeding territories in a long-distance migrant the Common Whitethroat,Sylvia communis

Cited by 7 publications

References 47 publications

Variation in nestling body condition and wing development predict cause‐specific mortality in fledgling dickcissels

Variation in nestling body condition and wing development predict cause‐specific mortality in fledgling dickcissels

Patterns in departure phenology and mass gain on African non‐breeding territories prior to theSahara crossing in a long‐distance migrant

Does the size and developmental stage of traits at fledging reflect juvenile flight ability among songbirds?

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