Local weather and endogenous factors affect the initiation of migration in short‐ and medium‐distance songbird migrants
Migratory birds employ a variety of mechanisms to ensure appropriate timing of migration based on integration of endogenous and exogenous information. The cues to fatten and depart from the non‐breeding area are often linked to exogenous cues such as temperature or precipitation and the endogenous p...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Avian Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03029 |
| _version_ | 1797853471803703296 |
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| author | Theodore J. Zenzal Darren Johnson Frank R. Moore Zoltán Németh |
| author_facet | Theodore J. Zenzal Darren Johnson Frank R. Moore Zoltán Németh |
| author_sort | Theodore J. Zenzal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Migratory birds employ a variety of mechanisms to ensure appropriate timing of migration based on integration of endogenous and exogenous information. The cues to fatten and depart from the non‐breeding area are often linked to exogenous cues such as temperature or precipitation and the endogenous program. Shorter distance migrants should rely heavily on environmental information when initiating migration given relatively close proximity to the breeding area. However, the ability to fatten and subsequently depart may be linked to individual circumstances, including current fuel load and body size. For early and late departing migrants, we investigate effects of temperature, precipitation, lean body mass, fuel load and day of year on the initiation of migration (i.e. fuel load and departure timing) from the non‐breeding region by analyzing 21 years of banding data for four species of short‐ and medium‐distance migrants. Temperatures at the non‐breeding area were related to temperatures at potential stopover areas. Despite local cues being predictive of conditions further north, the amount variation explained by local weather conditions in our models differed by species and temporal period but was low overall (< 33% variation explained). For each species, we also compared lean body mass and fuel load between early and late departing migrants, which showed mixed results. Our combined results suggest that most individuals migrating short or medium distances in our study did not time the initiation of migration with local predictive cues alone, but rather other factors such as lean body mass, fuel load, day of year, which may be a proxy for the endogenous program, and those beyond the scope of our study also influenced the initiation of migration. Our study contributes to understanding which factors influence departure decisions of short‐ and medium‐distance migrants as they transition from the non‐breeding to the migratory phase of the annual cycle. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:50:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aa2ef9629a574532a27604a4f62c62e6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0908-8857 1600-048X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:50:05Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Avian Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-aa2ef9629a574532a27604a4f62c62e62023-04-03T08:07:06ZengWileyJournal of Avian Biology0908-88571600-048X2023-03-0120233-4n/an/a10.1111/jav.03029Local weather and endogenous factors affect the initiation of migration in short‐ and medium‐distance songbird migrantsTheodore J. Zenzal0Darren Johnson1Frank R. Moore2Zoltán Németh3U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center Lafayette LA USAU.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center Lafayette LA USASchool of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg MS USAMTA‐DE Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Dept of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, Univ. of Debrecen Debrecen HungaryMigratory birds employ a variety of mechanisms to ensure appropriate timing of migration based on integration of endogenous and exogenous information. The cues to fatten and depart from the non‐breeding area are often linked to exogenous cues such as temperature or precipitation and the endogenous program. Shorter distance migrants should rely heavily on environmental information when initiating migration given relatively close proximity to the breeding area. However, the ability to fatten and subsequently depart may be linked to individual circumstances, including current fuel load and body size. For early and late departing migrants, we investigate effects of temperature, precipitation, lean body mass, fuel load and day of year on the initiation of migration (i.e. fuel load and departure timing) from the non‐breeding region by analyzing 21 years of banding data for four species of short‐ and medium‐distance migrants. Temperatures at the non‐breeding area were related to temperatures at potential stopover areas. Despite local cues being predictive of conditions further north, the amount variation explained by local weather conditions in our models differed by species and temporal period but was low overall (< 33% variation explained). For each species, we also compared lean body mass and fuel load between early and late departing migrants, which showed mixed results. Our combined results suggest that most individuals migrating short or medium distances in our study did not time the initiation of migration with local predictive cues alone, but rather other factors such as lean body mass, fuel load, day of year, which may be a proxy for the endogenous program, and those beyond the scope of our study also influenced the initiation of migration. Our study contributes to understanding which factors influence departure decisions of short‐ and medium‐distance migrants as they transition from the non‐breeding to the migratory phase of the annual cycle.https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03029departure decisionshouse wren Troglodytes aedonruby-crowned kinglet Corthylio calendulaswamp sparrow Melospiza georgianaweatherwhite-throated sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis |
| spellingShingle | Theodore J. Zenzal Darren Johnson Frank R. Moore Zoltán Németh Local weather and endogenous factors affect the initiation of migration in short‐ and medium‐distance songbird migrants Journal of Avian Biology departure decisions house wren Troglodytes aedon ruby-crowned kinglet Corthylio calendula swamp sparrow Melospiza georgiana weather white-throated sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis |
| title | Local weather and endogenous factors affect the initiation of migration in short‐ and medium‐distance songbird migrants |
| title_full | Local weather and endogenous factors affect the initiation of migration in short‐ and medium‐distance songbird migrants |
| title_fullStr | Local weather and endogenous factors affect the initiation of migration in short‐ and medium‐distance songbird migrants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Local weather and endogenous factors affect the initiation of migration in short‐ and medium‐distance songbird migrants |
| title_short | Local weather and endogenous factors affect the initiation of migration in short‐ and medium‐distance songbird migrants |
| title_sort | local weather and endogenous factors affect the initiation of migration in short and medium distance songbird migrants |
| topic | departure decisions house wren Troglodytes aedon ruby-crowned kinglet Corthylio calendula swamp sparrow Melospiza georgiana weather white-throated sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03029 |
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