Fuel loads acquired at a stopover site influence the pace of intercontinental migration in a boreal songbird.

ABSTRACT: Long-distance migratory organisms are under strong selection to migrate quickly. Stopovers demand more time than flying and are used by individuals to refuel during migration, but the effect of fuel loads (fat) acquired at stopover sites on the subsequent pace of migration has not been quantified. We studied stopover behaviour of Grey-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus) at a site in northern Colombia and then tracked their migration using an intercontinental radio-telemetry array. Tracking confirmed long-distance flights of more than 3000 km, highlighting the key importance of a single stopover site to the migration strategy of this species. Our results suggest that these songbirds behave as time-minimizers as predicted by optimal migration theory, and that fuel loads acquired at this South

SUBMITTER: Gomez C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5469819 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature