ArticleNature ecology & evolution2024
Migratory lifestyle carries no added overall energy cost in a partial migratory songbird.
Article in Nature ecology & evolution, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- From electrocardiography to energetics: methods, constraints, and practical considerations for heart rate biologging in small animals.Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology · 2026Review
- Oilbirds performing non-seasonal intra-tropical migrations reduce flight effort compared to individuals that frequently return to the colony roost.Movement ecology · 2026Article
- Population-level migration modeling of North America's birds through data integration with BirdFlow.Movement ecology · 2026Article
- Unexpected migration patterns in a high-latitude breeding songbird: evidence from multi-sensor geolocators and isotopes.Movement ecology · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Seasonal bird migration may provide energy benefits associated with moving to areas with less physiologically challenging climates or increased food availability, but migratory movements themselves may carry high costs. However, time-dynamic energy profiles of free-living migrants-especially small-bodied songbirds-are challenging to measure. Here we quantify energy output and thermoregulatory costs in partially migratory common blackbirds using implanted heart rate and temperature loggers paired with automated radio telemetry and energetic modelling. Our results show that blackbirds save considerable energy in preparation for migration by decreasing heart rate and body temperature 28 days before departure, potentially dwarfing the energy costs of migratory flights. Yet, in warmer wintering areas, migrants do not appear to decrease total daily energy expenditure despite a substantially reduced cost of thermoregulation. These findings indicate differential metabolic programmes across different wintering strategies despite equivalent overall energy expenditure, suggesting that the maintenance of migration is associated with differences in energy allocation rather than with total energy expenditure.
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