Flocking behaviour in the twilight ascents of Common Swifts Apus apus
Nilsson, Cecilia LU
; Bäckman, Johan
LU
and Dokter, Adriaan M.
(2019)
In Ibis
161(3).
p.674-678
- Abstract
Among the many unique flight behaviours of Common Swifts Apus apus, the most puzzling may be their ascents to high altitudes during both dusk and dawn. Twilight ascents have been hypothesized to be functionally related to information acquisition, including integration of celestial orientation cues, high-altitude visual landmarks and sampling of weather conditions. However, their exact purpose remains unknown. We tracked Common Swifts with tracking radar at their breeding grounds in southern Sweden, and present evidence that during the dusk ascent and dawn descent they often occur in flocks, whereas during the dusk descent and dawn ascent phase they do not. This flocking behaviour suggests that swifts may benefit from conspecific... (More)
Among the many unique flight behaviours of Common Swifts Apus apus, the most puzzling may be their ascents to high altitudes during both dusk and dawn. Twilight ascents have been hypothesized to be functionally related to information acquisition, including integration of celestial orientation cues, high-altitude visual landmarks and sampling of weather conditions. However, their exact purpose remains unknown. We tracked Common Swifts with tracking radar at their breeding grounds in southern Sweden, and present evidence that during the dusk ascent and dawn descent they often occur in flocks, whereas during the dusk descent and dawn ascent phase they do not. This flocking behaviour suggests that swifts may benefit from conspecific interactions during twilight ascents and descents, possibly through more robust cue acquisition and information exchange in groups, or extending social behaviour also seen in screaming parties before dusk.
(Less)
- author
- Nilsson, Cecilia
LU
; Bäckman, Johan
LU
and Dokter, Adriaan M.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2019-01-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- flight altitude, flight behaviour, screaming parties
- in
- Ibis
- volume
- 161
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 674 - 678
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85060768868
- ISSN
- 0019-1019
- DOI
- 10.1111/ibi.12704
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 6f84ae07-dda5-4729-b6b4-86d2e0894399
- date added to LUP
- 2019-02-13 08:59:55
- date last changed
- 2022-04-25 21:37:01
@article{6f84ae07-dda5-4729-b6b4-86d2e0894399,
abstract = {{<p>Among the many unique flight behaviours of Common Swifts Apus apus, the most puzzling may be their ascents to high altitudes during both dusk and dawn. Twilight ascents have been hypothesized to be functionally related to information acquisition, including integration of celestial orientation cues, high-altitude visual landmarks and sampling of weather conditions. However, their exact purpose remains unknown. We tracked Common Swifts with tracking radar at their breeding grounds in southern Sweden, and present evidence that during the dusk ascent and dawn descent they often occur in flocks, whereas during the dusk descent and dawn ascent phase they do not. This flocking behaviour suggests that swifts may benefit from conspecific interactions during twilight ascents and descents, possibly through more robust cue acquisition and information exchange in groups, or extending social behaviour also seen in screaming parties before dusk.</p>}},
author = {{Nilsson, Cecilia and Bäckman, Johan and Dokter, Adriaan M.}},
issn = {{0019-1019}},
keywords = {{flight altitude; flight behaviour; screaming parties}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{01}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{674--678}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Ibis}},
title = {{Flocking behaviour in the twilight ascents of Common Swifts Apus apus}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12704}},
doi = {{10.1111/ibi.12704}},
volume = {{161}},
year = {{2019}},
}