What makes Alpine swift ascend at twilight? Novel geolocators reveal year-round flight behaviour.

ABSTRACT:

Abstract

Studying individual flight behaviour throughout the year is indispensable to understand the ecology of a bird species. Recent development in technology allows now to track flight behaviour of small long-distance bird migrants throughout its annual cycle. The specific flight behaviour of twilight ascents in birds has been documented in a few studies, but only during a short period of the year, and never quantified on the individual level. It has been suggested that twilight ascents might be a role in orientation and navigation. Previous studies had reported the behaviour only near the breeding site and during migration. We investigated year-round flight behaviour of 34 individual Alpine swifts (Apus melba) of four different populations in relation to twilight ascents

SUBMITTER: Meier CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5847200 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature