Birds' Motivation to Migrate Studied
Posted on: Wednesday, 28 February 2007, 09:56 CST
U.S. ecologists are offering an explanation as to why some birds migrate long distances each year, while other bird species never travel at all.
One textbook explanation suggests eating fruit or living in non-forested environments were factors that evolved migratory behavior.
But W. Alice Boyle and Courtney Conway of the University of Arizona disagree, saying the pressure to migrate comes from seasonal food scarcity.
It's not just whether you eat insects, fruit, or candy bars, or where you eat them -- it matters how reliable that food source is from day-to-day, Boyle said. For example, some really long-distance migrants like Arctic Terns are not fruit-eaters.
The researchers also determined birds that forage with others of the same species are less likely to migrate. Flocking can be an alternative way of dealing with food shortages, Boyle said. When birds band together to search for food, the group is more likely to find a new patch of food than is one lone individual.
The research appears in the March issue of the American Naturalist.
Source: United Press International
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