Bird migration

Abstract: Using a vast amount of data that the British Trust for Ornithology have collected from ringing recoveries, this title presents detailed and up-to-date information on bird migration. Since the ringing programme began in 1909, there have been around half a million recoveries of birds ringed in the UK. The data yielded have enabled the BTO to build up a picture of the movements of around 200 migratory species, and this book presents that information in a clear and concise format.

Abstract: Ecological processes are changing in response to climatic warming. Birds, in particular, have been documented to arrive and breed earlier in spring and this has been attributed to elevated spring temperatures. It is not clear, however, how long-distance migratory birds that overwinter thousands of kilometers to the south in the tropics cue into changes in temperature or plant phenology on northern breeding areas. We explored the relationships between the timing and rate of spring migration of long-distance migratory birds, and variables such as temperature, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and plant phenology, using mist net capture data from three ringing stations in North America over a 40-year period. Mean April/May temperatures in eastern North America varied over a 5°C range, but with no significant trend during this period. Similarly, we found few significant trends toward earlier median capture dates of birds. Median capture dates were not related to the NAO, but were inversely correlated to spring temperatures for almost all species. For every 1°C increase in spring temperature, median capture dates of migratory birds averaged, across species, one day earlier. Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) budburst, however, averaged 3 days earlier for every 1°C increase in spring temperature, suggesting that the impact of temperature on plant phenology is three times greater than on bird phenology. To address whether migratory birds adjust their rate of northward migration to changes in temperature, we compared median capture dates for 15 species between a ringing station on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana in the southern USA with two stations approximately 2,500 km to the north. The interval between median capture dates in Louisiana and at the other two ringing stations was inversely correlated with temperature, with an average interval of 22 days, that decreased by 0.8 days per 1°C increase in temperature. Our results suggest that, although the onset of migration may be determined endogenously, the timing of migration is flexible and can be adjusted in response to variation in weather and/or phenology along migration routes.

Abstract: 1 Patterns of Migration.- The Orientation of Transoceanic Migrants.- Bird Migration in the Arctic: A Review.- Palaearctic Passerine Migrants in Kenya and Uganda: Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Their Movements.- Migration Across the Alps.- Timing of Bird Migration in Relation to Weather: Updated Review.- Aspects of the Molt Migration.- 2 Ecological and Behavioral Aspects of Migration.- Site Attachment and Site Fidelity in Migratory Birds: Experimental Evidence from the Field and Analogies from Neurobiology.- Ecophysiological Aspects of Movements by Migrants in the Wintering Quarters.- Control of Partial Migration and Autumnal Behavior.- Selection and Use of Habitat of Wintering Migrants.- Some Ecological Aspects of Migrants and Residents.- 3 Physiological Adaptations to Migration.- The Visual Problems of Nocturnal Migration.- Nutrition and Food Selection in Migratory Birds.- Fat Storage and Fat Metabolism in Relation to Migration.- Endocrine Mechanisms of Migration.- Circannual Rhythms in Bird Migration: Control of Temporal Patterns and Interactions with Photoperiod.- Genetics of Migration.- 4 Avian Flight.- The Mechanics of Flight and Bird Migration Performance.- The Physiology of Bird Flight.- Wind Tunnel Measurements of Long-Time Flights in Relation to the Energetics and Water Economy of Migrating Birds.- 5 Strategies and Tactics of Migration.- Optimal Bird Migration: The Relative Importance of Time, Energy, and Safety.- Strategies of Trans-Sahara Migrants.- Bird Migration Across Arid and Mountainous Regions of Middle Asia and Kasakhstan.- Migration Strategies and Tactics of Waders Breeding in Arctic and North Temperate Latitudes.- An Exploration of the Energetics of Leap-Frog Migration in Arctic Breeding Waders.- Problems Inhibiting Energetic Analyses of Migration.- Species Index.