Combining radio-telemetry and radar measurements to test optimal foraging in an aerial insectivore bird.

ABSTRACT: Optimal foraging theory posits that foragers adjust their movements based on prey abundance to optimize food intake. While extensively studied in terrestrial and marine environments, aerial foraging has remained relatively unexplored due to technological limitations. This study, uniquely combining BirdScan-MR1 radar and the Advanced Tracking and Localization of Animals in Real-Life Systems biotelemetry system, investigates the foraging dynamics of Little Swifts (Apus affinis) in response to insect movements over Israel's Hula Valley. Insect movement traffic rate (MoTR) substantially varied across days, strongly influencing swift movement. On days with high MoTR, swifts exhibited reduced flight distance, increased colony visit rate, and earlier arrivals at the breeding colony, reflec

SUBMITTER: Bloch I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11771959 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature