ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

INSTRUCTOR’S BACKGROUND
 Research program focuses on the
ecology, behavior, and ecophysiology of
migratory birds
 Conduct research in the laboratory and
in the field at study sites around the
globe
 http://www.usm.edu/mbrg/
Roughly two-thirds of
all the bird species that
breed in the forests of
eastern North America
migrate from
temperate breeding
grounds to more
tropical wintering
areas in the Caribbean,
Mexico, and Central
and South America.
 MIGRANTS MAY EXPERIENCE THE
BEST OF TWO WORLDS

 Increased reproductive performance by

breeding in the food rich, competitor poor
temperate habitats in summer

 Increased survival by spending the

temperate winter in the tropics
EN ROUTE PROBLEMS
 Adjust to unfamiliar habitats
 Acquire food in short period of time
 Contend with competitors
 Avoid predators
 Resolve conflicting demands
 Maintain health
 Gain adequate sleep
 Finding the right direction
 Cope with adverse weather
If she solves en route problems, she experiences a
successful migration. Successful migration?
Survival and Reproductive Success
EN ROUTE PROBLEMS
 Adjust to unfamiliar habitats
 Acquire food in short period of time
 Contend with competitors
 Avoid predators
 Resolve conflicting demands
 Maintain health
 Gain adequate sleep
 Correct orientation
 Cope with adverse weather
Approximately two-
thirds of all the bird
species that breed in
the forests of eastern
North America migrate
from temperate
breeding grounds to
more tropical wintering
areas in the Caribbean,
Mexico, and Central
and South America.
 EN ROUTE PROBLEMS

 Adjust to unfamiliar habitats

 Acquire food in short period of time
 Avoid predators
 Resolve conflicting demands
 Maintain health
 Gain adequate sleep
 Correct orientation mistakes
 Cope with adverse weather
Migratory Birds and
West Nile Virus

 Arbovirus: Arthropod-borne virus

 Arthropods: Blood-sucking insects

(e.g. mosquitoes, ticks)
Spread of West Nile Virus
Spread of West Nile Virus
Migratory Birds and
West Nile Virus
Migratory birds suspected as principal means
of dispersing virus to new regions:

 Birds are the amplifying host of West Nile

virus.
 Birds captured during migratory period have
WNV antibodies.
 Virus has been isolation from birds during the
migratory period
Migratory Birds and
West Nile Virus
If migratory birds are principal
dispersal agents, then …

 Migrating birds must be infectious (i.e.,

level of viremia sufficient to infect
mosquito).
 Infectious migrants must display migratory
activity.
Migratory Birds and West Nile Virus

Swainson’s
Thrush

Wood
Thrush
Migratory Birds and West Nile Virus:
Experimental Approach

 Captured Fort Morgan

Peninsula, Alabama,
during fall migration

 Housed in a the
Animal Research
Facility, a Biosafety
Level 3 Facility
 Migratory Birds and West Nile
Virus: Experimental Approach

Bird Cage

Datalogger
 Migratory Birds and West Nile Virus:
Experimental Approach
a b c
100

90

80
Nocturnal activity (%)

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37
Time (days)
Migratory Birds and West Nile Virus:
Experimental Approach

Treatment birds inoculated

with 1000 pfu of North
American strain of WNV

Collected 0.05ml
blood from both
treatment and control
birds
 SWTH Nighttime Activity

20

N um ber of nighttim e periods active

18 20
Number of nighttime periods active

16 18
16
14
14
12
12
10 10
8 8
6 6

4 4
2
2
0
0 Pre-viremia Viremia Post-viremia
Pre-viremia Viremia Post-viremia

TREATMENT CONTROL
 WOTH Nighttime Activity
Num ber of nighttim e periods active

Num ber of nighttim e periods active

20 20
18 18
16 16
14 14
12 12
10 10
8 8
6 6
4 4
2 2
0 0
Pre-viremia Viremia Post-viremia Pre-viremia Viremia Post-viremia

TREATMENT CONTROL
Migratory Birds and
West Nile Virus

Migratory birds display migratory activity

while infectious with West Nile virus.

Consistent with the hypothesis that migratory

birds are a principal means of dispersing
virus to new regions
EPISTEMOLOGICAL CYCLE
HYPOTHESIS
“THE POSSIBLE”
Induction Deduction

DECISION PREDICTION

Comparison Experimentation

DATA
“THE ACTUAL”
FAT FUELS MIGRATION

HYPERPHAGIA

DIET SELECTION

FAT DEPOSITS

Red-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus
EN ROUTE PROBLEMS:

Conflicting demand
between food acquisition
and predator avoidance
COOPER’S HAWK MODEL
Accipiter cooperii
SCIENCE AS A
WAY OF KNOWING

 Hypothesis: Fat birds are more cautious with

respect to predation than lean birds

 Prediction: After exposure to a hawk model, fat

birds freeze longer than lean birds
 GRAY CATBIRD
FAT and LEAN
YOUNG and OLD

COOPER’S HAWK MODEL

EPISTEMOLOGICAL CYCLE

HYPOTHESIS

Induction Deduction

DECISION PREDICTION

Comparison Experimentation

DATA
SCIENCE AS A
WAY OF KNOWING
 Hypothesis: As risk increases, prey should
decrease their exposure

 Prediction: Adjust behavior in ways that reduce

exposure to aerial predators, namely:

 Forage deeper inside protective cover as risk increases

 Rate of movement decreases as risk increases
 Foraging rate decreases as risk increases
 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER:
RISK ASSESSMENT

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK
GLIDER MODEL
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER
RESPONSE TO PREDATION RISK

Depth in Cover Movement Rate

(cm) (perch changes/min)
30
45 N = 106 N = 85
15
Residual

30
15 0
0
-15 -15

-30 -30
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
Predation Risk Predation Risk
(Hawks counted / 60 min) (Hawks counted / 60 min)
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER
RESPONSE TO MODEL HAWK
1.0 50

(perch changes/min)
Depth in Shrubs

Movement Rate
0.8
40
0.6
(cm)

0.4 30

0.2 20
0.0
10
Before After Before After

8
(attempts / min)
Foraging Rate

0
Before After
RESPONSE TO RISK OF PREDATION
INTERPRETATION

 Migrants assess risk of predation during

stopover

 Antipredator responses may restrict food

intake
EPISTEMOLOGICAL CYCLE

HYPOTHESIS

Induction Deduction

DECISION PREDICTION

Comparison Experimentation

DATA
EN ROUTE PROBLEMS
Adjust to unfamiliar habitats

Acquire food in short time

Avoid predators

Contend with competitors

Resolve conflicting demands

Maintain health

Gain adequate sleep

Find/maintain the right direction

Cope with adverse weather

RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

 Energy Stores Influence the Decision to Migrate

 Energy Stores Influence the Choice of Migratory Direction

 Geographic Context Influences Integration of Directional

Information
FT. MORGAN PENINSULA
Northern Coast of the Gulf of Mexico
 RED-EYED VIREO
Vireo olivaceus

ORIENTATION –
ACTIVITY CAGES
Johan Bäckman
Migratory Birds and
Sleep Loss
 Wakefulness allows animals to interact adaptively
with their environment, while adaptive waking
performance is contingent on sleep, the function of
which remains a contested issue.

 Consequences of irregular and deprived sleep patterns?

 Nocturnal bird migrants provide an excellent model group to study the

consequences of naturally occurring sleep loss and compensatory
adjustments that would accompany sleep loss, including uni-hemispheric
sleep.
 TEMPORAL PATTERN TO MIGRATION

NEXRAD Reflectivity National Composite: Robert Diehl. Personal communication

 TEMPORAL PATTERN TO MIGRATION

NEXRAD Reflectivity National Composite: Robert Diehl. Personal communication

 DIEL PATTERN OF MIGRATION

Diehl, R. H. and R. P. Larkin.  In press.  Bird Conservation Implementation and

Integration in the Americas: Proceedings of the Third International
Partners in Flight Conference. (Ralph and Rich, eds.). USDA
Forest Service, Albany, CA.
 Migratory Birds
and Sleep
 A migrant loses substantial opportunity for
nighttime sleep during the migratory season.

 Negative consequences?

 In response, migrants likely evolved compensatory

mechanism(s). For example, migratory birds might sleep more
during the day. But too much daytime sleep might compromise
a bird’s ability to replenish energy supplies needed for
subsequent flights and increase the risk of predation.

 Natural selection may have promoted other mechanisms for

sleep compensation such as uni-hemispheric sleep.
Migratory Birds and
Sleep Loss
 Tested hypothesis that migrants
compensate for sleep loss through
Swainson’s
collaboration with neurobiologists Thrush
at Bowling Green State University

 Conducted behavioral and

electro-physiological analysis
of sleep
Drowsiness

An intermediate state between sleep and wakefulness, occurring

during day and night time.
Migratory vs. Non-Migratory State
A Nighttime Behavior
*
80%
non-
70% migratory
60% migratory
restless
50% * *
40%
30%
20%
10% *
0%
active sing feed groom alert drowsy front back wing sleep
wake sleep sleep whirring

B Daytime Behavior
60% *
50% *
40%

30%

20% *
10%

0%
active singing feeding grooming alert wake drowsy front sleep
EPISTEMOLOGICAL CYCLE

HYPOTHESIS

Induction Deduction

DECISION PREDICTION

Comparison Experimentation

DATA