Zugstrategien beim Steinschmätzer (Oenanthe oenanthe)
Final Report Abstract
We achieved most of the proposed aims of this project, and even discovered aspects we didn’t have in mind before, like the innate disposition for protandry and the effect of geomagnetic cues on fine-tuning of migratory fattening. However, we also failed with some of our goals. We failed to cross-breed with Alaskan birds, likely due to too short photoperiod in Wilhelmshaven. However, we set up indoor breeding facilities with artificial light to increase hours of light. First breeding attempts are convincing so that we are optimistic for future crossbreeding experiments. We also failed to finish with our studies on the possible innate basis of migratory route selection in naïve Northern Wheatears. All tested populations revealed significant directional preferences in orientation cages but the preferred directions do not match the expectation derived from known routes of wild conspecifics. Maybe, they require external cues either perceiving the earth magnetic field of their respective breeding site, or they need calibration of an innate readiness to migrate in a direction with an external cue such as sunset. These aspects will be tested in future studies. In contrast to the proposal we did not go to Greenland and Iceland for tracking birds from these provenances. We skipped Greenland and Iceland because of our early experience at Iqaluit with no returned birds after the first tagging. We wanted to repeat our approach there, and we were successful. In addition, a Swedish group started to tag wheatears with geolocators on Greenland so that we decided not to duplicate approaches.
Publications
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(2010) Endogenous rhythms of seasonal migratory body mass changes and nocturnal restlessness in different populations of northern wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe. J Biol Rhythms 25: 268-276
Maggini I, Bairlein F
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(2012) Cross-hemisphere migration of a 25-gram songbird. Biol Lett 8: 505-507
Bairlein F, Norris DR, Nagel R, Bulte M, Voigt CC, Fox JW, Hussell DJT, Schmaljohann H
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(2012) Innate sex differences in the timing of spring migration in a songbird. PloS ONE 7(2): e31271
Maggini I, Bairlein F
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(2012) Phenotypic response to environmental cues, orientation, and costs of migration in songbirds flying half around the world. Anim Behav 84: 623-640
Schmaljohann H, Fox JW, Bairlein F
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(2012) Tracking migration routes and the annual cycle of a trans- Sahara songbird migrant. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 66: 915-922
Schmaljohann H, Buchmann M, Fox JW, Bairlein F
