News

Fat Birds Fly On

February 17, 2010 by Corey 1 Comment

Though it may seem like an obvious conclusion it is still pretty cool that a study of Garden Warblers at an island off the coast of Italy that serves as a migratory stopover showed that the birds with fat reserves moved on quickly while birds lacking fat reserves waited to replenish their stores before continuing their migration.  As this summary on ScienceDaily states:

The data demonstrates the importance of ecologically-intact resting grounds: The birds can only replenish their energy reserves quickly and move on to their breeding grounds swiftly and unfailingly if they can rest in areas with sufficient supplies of insects, nectar and pollen. Those that arrive early at the breeding ground can secure the best nesting sites.

Conservation for migratory species must take into account not just breeding grounds but wintering grounds and migratory stopover sites as well!

Written by Corey
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.