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opencc-zeroNov 2023View details →

Social behavior among nocturnally migrating birds revealed by automated moonwatching

Migrating birds often fly in group formations during the daytime; whereas at night, it is generally presumed that they fly singly. However, it is difficult to quantify group behavior during nocturnal migration as there are few means of directly observing interactions among individuals. We employed an automated form of moonwatching to estimate percentages of birds that appear to migrate in groups during the night within the Central Flyway of North America. We compared percentages of birds in groups across the spring and fall and examined overnight temporal patterns of group behavior. We found groups were rare in both seasons, never exceeding 10% of birds observed, and were almost nonexistent during the fall. We also observed an overnight pattern of group behavior in the spring wherein groups were more commonly detected early in the night and again just before migration activity ceased. This finding may be related to changes in species composition of migrants throughout the night, or alternatively it suggests that group formation may be associated with flocking activity on the ground as groups are most prevalent when birds begin and end a night of migration.

opencc-zeroApr 2024View details →

Data and code for: Behavioral plasticity shapes participation in a mixed-species flocking community of birds

Behavioral plasticity can modulate the costs and benefits of sociality, and thus may play a prominent role in mediating competition and facilitation during social interactions in mixed-species groups. However, investigations of assembly patterns of mixed-species groups typically treat species' behavioral attributes as static rather than dynamic features that can change in social contexts. We investigate four axes of behavioral plasticity that may modulate interaction within mixed-species groups: 1) species' selective preference for joining certain groups, 2) species' ability to flexibly change their behavior in response to groupmates' behavior, and 3) shifts and/or 4) expansions of species' niche occupancy when foraging with conspecifics versus when foraging with heterospecifics. We assess variation in these axes of behavioral plasticity in an Australian mixed-species avian community. All species had selective preferences for flocks of certain strata, and some flexibly matched their flockmates' foraging strata. Three species exhibited patterns of niche shift, and one species showed niche expansion. These findings suggest that species converge in strata in mixed-species flocks despite the potential for increased competition and emphasize that species can plastically react to changes in their social environment in numerous ways. Acknowledgment of such plasticity is likely integral to understanding the nuances of heterospecific interactions.

Fig. 5 in Ethological Aspects Of Biodiversity Within And Between Phylloscopus Species: Behavioral Variation Among Birds From The Centre And Periphery Of Breeding Ranges

Fig. 5. Ratio of males of different statuses from the number of all the males tried to occupy territories in the study area in 2007 – 2014.

Fig. 6 in Ethological Aspects Of Biodiversity Within And Between Phylloscopus Species: Behavioral Variation Among Birds From The Centre And Periphery Of Breeding Ranges

Fig. 6. Change of places of singing (1, 2, etc.) during a season in Wood Warblers. Examples for some different controlled males are indicated by the lines of different types (2007 – 2014).

Fig. 1 in Ethological Aspects Of Biodiversity Within And Between Phylloscopus Species: Behavioral Variation Among Birds From The Centre And Periphery Of Breeding Ranges

Fig. 1. Population densities of the Leaf Warblers in the study area at different stages of reproductive seasons of 2007 – 2014.

Fig. 2 in Ethological Aspects Of Biodiversity Within And Between Phylloscopus Species: Behavioral Variation Among Birds From The Centre And Periphery Of Breeding Ranges

Fig. 2. The overlapping of projections of Chiffchaff territories ('maximum-territories' according to the point mapping method) and the real segregating of the territorial rooms in space: a scheme.

opencc-zeroAug 2023View details →

Data from: Novel approaches for assessing acclimatization in birds reveal seasonal changes in peripheral heat exchange and thermoregulatory behaviors

Using thermography and behavioral analyses, we found that heat exchange and thermoregulatory behaviors changed seasonally in chipping sparrows (Spizella passerina). Studies on seasonal acclimatization in birds have primarily involved metabolic measurements, few of which have investigated behaviors, and none have investigated changes in peripheral heat exchange. We captured chipping sparrows in the winter and summer of 2022 in Wilmington, North Carolina, and we collected thermal images of these birds at 15.0°, 27.5°, and 40.0°C. We found that heat dissipation through the bill and legs changed seasonally, but surprisingly both were higher in winter than in summer. We found that heat dissipating behaviors were more common in winter, whereas heat conserving behaviors were more common in summer, and that behaviors associated with resource costs (e.g., panting) or predation risk (e.g., bill tucking) showed the most distinct differences between seasons. Meanwhile, low-cost and low-risk postural adjustments (e.g., feather adjustments and tarsus exposure) did not vary as strongly between seasons but followed similar trends. The seasonal adjustments to behaviors suggest that non-acclimatized birds must use costly thermoregulatory behaviors more frequently than acclimatized birds. The use of thermography catalyzed the discovery of one completely novel behavior, and the first detection of a known behavior in a new species. Both novel behaviors aided in evaporative heat loss and occurred more commonly in winter, supporting the presence of seasonal acclimatization as evidenced by behavioral adjustments. These results provide novel insights to the process of acclimatization and suggest a role of behavioral adjustments in seasonal acclimatization.

opencc-zeroSep 2023View details →

Data from: Genomic signatures of convergent shifts to plunge-diving behavior in birds

Understanding the genetic basis of convergence at broad phylogenetic scales remains a key challenge in biology. Kingfishers (Aves: Alcedinidae) are a cosmopolitan avian radiation with diverse colors, diets, and feeding behaviors—including the archetypal plunge-dive into water. Transitioning from air to water poses major sensory and locomotor challenges that might affect the evolution of both sensory genes and morphological structures involved in these functions. Kingfishers therefore offer a powerful opportunity to explore the effects of convergent behaviors on the evolution of genomes and phenotypes, as well as direct comparisons between continental and island lineages. Here, we use whole-genome sequencing of 31 diverse kingfisher species to identify the genomic signatures associated with convergent feeding behaviors. We show that species with smaller ranges (i.e., on islands) have experienced stronger demographic fluctuations than those on continents, and that these differences have influenced the dynamics of molecular evolution. Comparative genomic analyses reveal positive selection and genomic convergence in brain and dietary genes in plunge-divers. These findings enhance our understanding of the connections between genotype and phenotype in a diverse avian radiation.