201. Flying with the winds: differential migration strategies in relation to winds in moth and songbirds.
- Author
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Åkesson, Susanne and Hays, Graeme
- Subjects
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MOTH behavior , *SONGBIRDS , *ANIMAL migration , *INSECT flight , *BIRD flight , *WINDS , *ANIMAL behavior - Abstract
Insects and songbirds regularly migrate long distances across continents and seas. During these nocturnal migrations, they are exposed to a fluid medium, the air, in which they transport themselves by flight at similar speeds as the winds may carry them. It is crucial for an animal to select the most favourable flight conditions relative to winds to minimize the distance flown on a given amount of fuel and to avoid hazardous situations. Chapman et al. (2015a) showed contrasting strategies in how moths initiate migration predominantly under tailwind conditions, allowing themselves to drift to a larger extent and gain ground speed as compared to nocturnal songbird migrants. The songbirds use more variable flight strategies in relation to winds, where they sometimes allow themselves to drift, and at other occasions compensate for wind drift. This study shows how insects and birds have differentially adapted to migration in relation to winds, which is strongly dependent on their own flight capability, with higher flexibility enabling finetuned responses to keep a time programme and reach a goal in songbirds compared to in insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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