Category: Muscicapidae

Gonadal status upon spring arrival in long-distance and short-distancemigrating stonechats ( Saxicola torquata)

Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maura) Science Article 1 abstract Long-distance migration is often associated with relatively short breeding seasons and a start of reproductive activities shortly after arrival. The full activation of the reproductive system from the regressed state takes, however, several weeks and must, therefore, be initiated in the winter quarters or during spring migration. […]

Slow pace of life in tropical sedentary birds:a common-garden experiment on four stonechatpopulations from different latitudes

Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maura) Science Article 2 abstract It has been hypothesized that organisms living at different latitudes or in different environments adjust their metabolic activity to the prevailing conditions. However, do differences in energy turnover simply represent a phenotypic adaptation to the local environment, or are they genetically based? Martin Wikelski, Proc. R. Soc. […]

Magnetic cues and time of season affect fueldeposition in migratory thrush nightingales(Luscinia luscinia)

Thrush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia) Science Article 2 abstract Bird migration requires high energy expenditure, and long-distance migrants accumulate fat for use asfuel during stopovers throughout their journey. Recent studies have shown that long-distance migratorybirds, besides accumulating fat for use as fuel, also show adaptive phenotypic flexibility in several organsduring migration. The migratory routes of many […]

Wingbeat frequency and the body drag anomaly: wind-tunnel observations on a thrush nightingale (Luscinia luscinia) and a teal (Anas crecca)

Thrush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia) Science Article 1 abstract A teal (Anas crecca) and a thrush nightingale (Luscinia luscinia) were trained to fly in the Lund wind tunnel for periods of up to 3 and 16 h respectively. Both birds flew in steady flapping flight, with such regularity that their wingbeat frequencies could be determined by […]

Daylength determines departure date of the Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata from its winter quarters.

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) Science Article 1 abstract The annual arrival and departure dates of the Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata at Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State, South Africa, were noted for a continuous period of 36 years (1950-1986). According to a stepwise regression analysis, daylength is by far the most important environmental factor influencing […]