科创中国

Trans-Gulf of Mexico loop migration of tree swallows revealed by solar geolocation

原文链接：万方

• 作者：

  David W. BRADLEY,Robert G. CLARK,Peter O. DUNN,Andrew J. LAUGHLIN,Caz M. TAYLOR,Carol VLECK,Linda A. WHITTINGHAM,David W. WINKLER,D. Ryan NORRIS

• 摘要：

  One of the greatest feats of avian migration is the non-stop crossing of extensive areas of inhospitable habitat such as deserts and seas. Differences in spring and autumn migration routes have been reported in species that cross such barriers, and are thought to have evolved in response to seasonal variation in prevailing wind direction. We tested the hypothesis that migration routes vary seasonally with respect to the Gulf of Mexico in the tree swallow Tachycineta bicolor using solar geolocators attached and retrieved at 4 breeding sites in central North America. We found that 100 % of birds (n = 10) made a trans-Gulf flight of 〉850 km from Louisiana south to their wintering grounds in the Yucatan Peninsula in 12-36 hours, achieving minimum ground speeds as high as 32 m/s. Although most days during autumn migration were characterized by unfavorable headwinds blowing to the northwest, migration over the Gulf mostly occurred on days with strong winds blowing to the south. In contrast, in 8 of 9 (88 %) birds on spring migration returned from the wintering grounds towards Louisiana following a clockwise loop pat- tern flying over land to the west around the Gulf. During this spring period there were few days with prevailing winds from the south to assist northward migration. Results suggest that, despite being up to three times further (ca. 2,700 kin), a coastal circum-Gulf spring migration represents the less risky route when wind conditions are not favorable. These findings also help to resolve a long-standing dispute in the literature concerning migration patterns between the US Gulf coast and Mexico, and provide insight into the factors shaping migration strategies of small songbirds migrating across large bodies of water [Current Zoology 60(5): 653-559, 2014].

• 关键词：

  墨西哥湾 迁移过程 太阳能 地理位置 循环 路易斯安那州 鸟类迁徙 燕子

• 作者单位：

  Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W 1, Canada%Bird Studies Canada, Port Rowan, Ontario N0E 1M0, Canada%Environment Canada. Saskatoon. Saskatchewan S7N 0X4. Canada,, Port Rowan, Ontario N0E 1M0, Canada%Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA%Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, USA%Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1020, USA%Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Vertebrates, and Lab of Ornithology, Comell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

• 来源期刊：

  动物学报(英文版)

• 年，卷(期)：

  2014005