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Bird orientation: compensation for wind drift in migrating raptors is age dependent

Thorup, K ; Alerstam, Thomas LU ; Hake, M and Kjellén, Nils LU (2003) In Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences 270(suppl. 1). p.8-11
Abstract
Despite the potentially strong effect of wind on bird orientation, our understanding of how wind drift affects migrating birds is still very limited. Using data from satellite-based radio telemetry, we analysed the effect of changing winds on the variation of the track direction of individual birds. We studied adults and juveniles of two raptor species, osprey Pandion haliaetus and honey buzzard Pernis apivorus, on autumn migration between North Europe and Africa, and demonstrate an important difference between the age categories of both species in the extent of wind drift. For juveniles, side- and following-wind components affected the rates of movement perpendicular to and along the mean direction, respectively, to a similar degree,... (More)
Despite the potentially strong effect of wind on bird orientation, our understanding of how wind drift affects migrating birds is still very limited. Using data from satellite-based radio telemetry, we analysed the effect of changing winds on the variation of the track direction of individual birds. We studied adults and juveniles of two raptor species, osprey Pandion haliaetus and honey buzzard Pernis apivorus, on autumn migration between North Europe and Africa, and demonstrate an important difference between the age categories of both species in the extent of wind drift. For juveniles, side- and following-wind components affected the rates of movement perpendicular to and along the mean direction, respectively, to a similar degree, suggesting full wind drift. By contrast, for adults the rate of crosswind displacement was significantly smaller than the effect of wind on forward movement, showing much reduced wind drift (29%). This indicates that adults have acquired a more sophisticated orientation system, permitting detection of and compensation for wind drift, than juveniles. These drift effects are likely to reduce the ability of juveniles to locate species-specific wintering areas in case of rapid climatic wind change. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences
volume
270
issue
suppl. 1
pages
8 - 11
publisher
Royal Society Publishing
external identifiers
  • wos:000184786900003
  • scopus:0042531679
ISSN
1471-2954
DOI
10.1098/rsbl.2003.0014
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
15ab75b1-4557-4ca6-8378-8fc1d10b43b5 (old id 137188)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:24:52
date last changed
2022-04-22 07:36:46
@article{15ab75b1-4557-4ca6-8378-8fc1d10b43b5,
  abstract     = {{Despite the potentially strong effect of wind on bird orientation, our understanding of how wind drift affects migrating birds is still very limited. Using data from satellite-based radio telemetry, we analysed the effect of changing winds on the variation of the track direction of individual birds. We studied adults and juveniles of two raptor species, osprey Pandion haliaetus and honey buzzard Pernis apivorus, on autumn migration between North Europe and Africa, and demonstrate an important difference between the age categories of both species in the extent of wind drift. For juveniles, side- and following-wind components affected the rates of movement perpendicular to and along the mean direction, respectively, to a similar degree, suggesting full wind drift. By contrast, for adults the rate of crosswind displacement was significantly smaller than the effect of wind on forward movement, showing much reduced wind drift (29%). This indicates that adults have acquired a more sophisticated orientation system, permitting detection of and compensation for wind drift, than juveniles. These drift effects are likely to reduce the ability of juveniles to locate species-specific wintering areas in case of rapid climatic wind change.}},
  author       = {{Thorup, K and Alerstam, Thomas and Hake, M and Kjellén, Nils}},
  issn         = {{1471-2954}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{suppl. 1}},
  pages        = {{8--11}},
  publisher    = {{Royal Society Publishing}},
  series       = {{Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences}},
  title        = {{Bird orientation: compensation for wind drift in migrating raptors is age dependent}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/4386940/624645.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1098/rsbl.2003.0014}},
  volume       = {{270}},
  year         = {{2003}},
}