Baseline and Stress-Induced Plasma Corticosterone during Long-Distance Migration in the Bar-Tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica

The specific roles of corticosterone in promotion of avian migration remain unclear even though this glucocorticosteroid is elevated in many migrating bird species. In general, glucocorticosteroids promote metabolic homeostasis and may elicit effects on feeding and locomotion. Because the migratory stages of refueling and flight are characterized by distinct behaviors and physiology, the determination of corticosterone levels during each stage should help identify potential processes in which corticosterone is involved. We measured baseline levels of corticosterone in bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica) during two distinct stages of migration: (1) immediately after arrival at a false stopover site just short of theWadden Sea and (2) throughout the subsequent 4-wk refueling period on the Wadden Sea. Plasma corticosterone was higher in arriving than in refueling birds. In addition, corticosterone increased with size-corrected body mass during the refueling phase, suggesting that corticosterone rises as birds prepare to reinitiate flight. Therefore, elevated corticosterone appears associated with migratory flight and may participate in processes characterizing this stage. We also performed a capture stress protocol in all birds and found that corticosterone increased in both arriving and refueling godwits. Therefore, the normal course of migration may be typified by corticosterone concentrations that are lower than those associated with stressful and life-threatening episodes.

Fuelling conditions at staging sites can mitigate Arctic warming effects in a migratory bird

Under climate warming, migratory birds should align reproduction dates with advancing plant and arthropod phenology. To arrive on the breeding grounds earlier, migrants may speed up spring migration by curtailing the time spent en route, possibly at the cost of decreased survival rates. Based on a decades-long series of observations along an entire flyway, we show that when refuelling time is limited, variation in food abundance in the spring staging area affects fitness. Bar-tailed godwits migrating from West Africa to the Siberian Arctic reduce refuelling time at their European staging site and thus maintain a close match between breeding and tundra phenology. Annual survival probability decreases with shorter refuelling times, but correlates positively with refuelling rate, which in turn is correlated with food abundance in the staging area. This chain of effects implies that conditions in the temperate zone determine the ability of godwits to cope with climate-related changes in the Arctic

Water balance during real and simulated long-distance migratory flight in the Bar-tailed Godwit

We examined Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica), a long-distance migratory shorebird, for evidence of dehydration toward the end of their 4,300-km migratory Right from West Africa to the Dutch Wadden Sea. Bar-tailed Godwits are ideal subjects for research on Right range constraints because they can readily be caught in migratory flight. Because godwits are capable of long nonstop travel, we hypothesized that they are physiologically adapted to minimize en route water loss, and therefore, do not experience water imbalance under standard migratory conditions. To test this hypothesis, we compared the hydration state of flying Bar-tailed Godwits at the end of a long bout of migratory flight to that of recently-landed godwits. Flying godwits were hydrated to the same degree as birds with free access to water, suggesting that godwits maintain water balance during migratory Right. To corroborate these empirical results, we ran a theoretical simulation of Right-incurred loss of water and energy in a male Bar-tailed Godwit based on the published model by Klaassen et al. (1999). When a low body drag is assumed, model output suggests that Bar-tailed Godwits Eying at altitudes ranging from sea level to 3,000 m will avoid dehydration, and that flight at about 3,000 m will result in the longest possible flight range.</p

Flight costs and fuel composition of a bird migrating in a wind-tunnel

We studied the energy and protein balance of a Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia, a small long-distance migrant, during repeated 12-hr long Eights in a wind tunnel and during subsequent two-day fueling periods. From the energy budgets we estimated the power requirements for migratory flight in this 26 g bird at 1.91 Watts. This is low compared to flight cost estimates in birds of similar mass and with similar wing shape. This suggests that power requirements for migratory flight are lower than the power requirements for nonmigratory Eight. From excreta production during Right, and nitrogen and energy balance during subsequent fueling, the dry protein proportion of stores was estimated to be around 10%. A net catabolism of protein during migratory flight along with that of fat may reflect a physiologically inevitable process, a means of providing extra water to counteract dehydration, a production of uric acid for anti-oxidative purposes, and adaptive changes in the size of Eight muscles and digestive organs in the exercising animal [KEYWORDS: body stores, energy budget, fight costs, Luscinia luscinia, migration, protein balance, Thrush Nightingale]