Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Activity patterns throughout the annual cycle in a long-distance migratory songbird, the red-backed shrike Lanius collurio

Macías-Torres, Pablo LU orcid ; Alerstam, Thomas LU ; Andersson, Arne LU orcid ; Bäckman, Johan LU orcid ; Thorup, Kasper ; Tøttrup, Anders P. and Sjöberg, Sissel LU (2022) In Movement Ecology 10(1).
Abstract

Background: Long-distance migratory birds undergo complex annual cycles during which they must adjust their behaviour according to the needs and conditions encountered throughout the year. Yet, variation in activity throughout the entire annual cycle has rarely been studied in wild migratory birds. Methods: We used multisensor data loggers to evaluate the patterns of activity throughout the complete annual cycle of a long-distance migratory bird, the red-backed shrike Lanius collurio. Accelerometer data was used to identify life-history stages and to estimate levels of activity during various phases of the annual cycle. In this study, we analysed the variation in daytime activity along the annual cycle and between migratory and... (More)

Background: Long-distance migratory birds undergo complex annual cycles during which they must adjust their behaviour according to the needs and conditions encountered throughout the year. Yet, variation in activity throughout the entire annual cycle has rarely been studied in wild migratory birds. Methods: We used multisensor data loggers to evaluate the patterns of activity throughout the complete annual cycle of a long-distance migratory bird, the red-backed shrike Lanius collurio. Accelerometer data was used to identify life-history stages and to estimate levels of activity during various phases of the annual cycle. In this study, we analysed the variation in daytime activity along the annual cycle and between migratory and non-migratory days. Results: The birds’ daytime activity varied throughout the annual cycle while night-time activity was almost exclusively restricted to migratory flights. The highest daytime activity levels were observed during the breeding season, while it remained low during autumn migration and the winter period. Daytime activity differed between sexes during the breeding period, when the males showed the highest level in activity. During migratory periods, both sexes exhibited a higher daytime activity in spring compared to autumn migration, being particularly high in the final migratory leg towards the breeding ground. The birds showed a lower daytime activity on migratory days (days when a migratory flight took place during the succeeding night) than on non-migratory days during both migratory seasons. Conclusions: Activity measured during daytime results from a combination of several behaviours, and a high daytime activity during spring migration and the breeding period is possibly reflecting particularly energy-demanding periods in the annual cycle of migratory birds. The use of multisensor data loggers to track annual activity provides us with a full annual perspective on variation in activity in long-distance migratory species, an essential approach for understanding possible critical life-history stages and migration ecology.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Accelerometer, Activity data, Annual cycle, Biologging, Energy budget, Migration
in
Movement Ecology
volume
10
issue
1
article number
55
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • scopus:85143317012
  • scopus:85143317012
  • pmid:36457000
ISSN
2051-3933
DOI
10.1186/s40462-022-00355-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4d57b34c-6e38-4be1-8ce3-7fcd80a54fb2
date added to LUP
2022-12-08 16:33:26
date last changed
2024-09-18 08:47:38
@article{4d57b34c-6e38-4be1-8ce3-7fcd80a54fb2,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Long-distance migratory birds undergo complex annual cycles during which they must adjust their behaviour according to the needs and conditions encountered throughout the year. Yet, variation in activity throughout the entire annual cycle has rarely been studied in wild migratory birds. Methods: We used multisensor data loggers to evaluate the patterns of activity throughout the complete annual cycle of a long-distance migratory bird, the red-backed shrike Lanius collurio. Accelerometer data was used to identify life-history stages and to estimate levels of activity during various phases of the annual cycle. In this study, we analysed the variation in daytime activity along the annual cycle and between migratory and non-migratory days. Results: The birds’ daytime activity varied throughout the annual cycle while night-time activity was almost exclusively restricted to migratory flights. The highest daytime activity levels were observed during the breeding season, while it remained low during autumn migration and the winter period. Daytime activity differed between sexes during the breeding period, when the males showed the highest level in activity. During migratory periods, both sexes exhibited a higher daytime activity in spring compared to autumn migration, being particularly high in the final migratory leg towards the breeding ground. The birds showed a lower daytime activity on migratory days (days when a migratory flight took place during the succeeding night) than on non-migratory days during both migratory seasons. Conclusions: Activity measured during daytime results from a combination of several behaviours, and a high daytime activity during spring migration and the breeding period is possibly reflecting particularly energy-demanding periods in the annual cycle of migratory birds. The use of multisensor data loggers to track annual activity provides us with a full annual perspective on variation in activity in long-distance migratory species, an essential approach for understanding possible critical life-history stages and migration ecology.</p>}},
  author       = {{Macías-Torres, Pablo and Alerstam, Thomas and Andersson, Arne and Bäckman, Johan and Thorup, Kasper and Tøttrup, Anders P. and Sjöberg, Sissel}},
  issn         = {{2051-3933}},
  keywords     = {{Accelerometer; Activity data; Annual cycle; Biologging; Energy budget; Migration}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{Movement Ecology}},
  title        = {{Activity patterns throughout the annual cycle in a long-distance migratory songbird, the red-backed shrike Lanius collurio}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40462-022-00355-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/s40462-022-00355-0}},
  volume       = {{10}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}