Gunnar R. Kramer
Sean M. Peterson
Justin A. Lehman
David A. Buehler
David E. Andersen
Henry M. Streby
2015
<p><span>Migration is a common behavior used by animals of many taxa to occupy different habitats during different periods</span><span>. Migrant birds are categorized as either facultative (i.e., those that are forced to migrate by some proximal cue, often weather) or obligate (i.e., those that migrate on a regular cycle)</span><span>. During migration, obligate migrants can curtail or delay flights in response to inclement weather or until favorable winds prevail</span><span>, and they can temporarily reorient or reverse direction when ecological or meteorological obstacles are encountered</span><span>. However, it is not known whether obligate migrants undertake facultative migrations and make large-scale movements in response to proximal cues outside of their regular migration periods</span><span>. Here, we present the first documentation of obligate long-distance migrant birds undertaking a facultative migration, wherein breeding golden-winged warblers (</span><i>Vermivora chrysoptera</i><span>) carrying light-level geolocators</span><span> performed a >1,500 km 5-day circumvention of a severe tornadic storm. The birds evacuated their breeding territories >24 hr before the arrival of the storm and atmospheric variation associated with it. The probable cue, radiating >1,000 km from tornadic storms</span><span>, perceived by birds and influencing bird behavior and movements</span><span>, is infrasound (i.e., sound below the range of human hearing). With the predicted increase in severity and frequency of similar storms as anthropogenic climate change progresses</span><span>, understanding large-scale behavioral responses of animals to such events will be an important objective of future research.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1016/j.cub.2014.10.079
en
Cell Press
Tornadic storm avoidance behavior in breeding songbirds
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