Stopover behavior and refueling physiology in relation to migration distance in Wilson's Warblers (Wilsonia Pusilla)

I investigated how inter-individual variation in total migration distance within a species affects stopover behavior and refueling rate. Wilson’s Warbler is a leapfrog migrant passerine that winters in Central America and breeds throughout North America. Birds were captured in the spring and fall of 2006 during passage through a desert stopover site in southern Arizona. Total migration distance of individuals was assessed using deuterium ratios of tail feathers, stopover duration was estimated using mark-recapture analysis of color-banded birds, and relative refueling rate was measured using plasma metabolite analysis. Compared to short-distance migrant individuals, longer-distance migrants passed through later during spring migration, had shorter minimum lengths of stay, larger fuel stores and a higher rate of refueling. During autumn, longer-distance migrants passed through later, but there was little variation in minimum length of stay. Total migration distance in autumn did not affect fuel stores, however, longer-distance migrants refueled more quickly.

Name thesis:degree_name

M Sc

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.issued

2008

Author dc:creator

• Hays, Quentin Rousseau

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Guglielmo, Christopher

• deuterium
• fuel stores
• mark-recapture
• migration
• minimum length of stay
• plasma metabolites
• refueling
• stable isotopes
• stopover
• Wilson's Warbler

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/18655

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/18655