Biology Seminar: Avian Migration: Insights Using Satellite Telemetry

Presented by: Dr. Julio Blas
Estación Biológica de Doñana
Spanish Council of Science CSIC
Sevilla, Spain

Day & Time: Thursday, September 3, 2015 @ noon

Location: Rm. 125, Biology (W P Thompson) Building

Movement defines the life of animals, but when we study wildlife we often do not know WHERE they are, HOW they got there or WHAT they do. Since animals provide our food and can be a source of enjoyment but also spread disease, all these questions are relevant to humans. Understanding animal decisions "on the move" has been elusive through constraints imposed by traditional monitoring technologies (e.g. bird banding, UHF-radio telemetry). However, the recent development of miniaturized bio-loggers (that can be deployed on animals and read anywhere from space) is producing leap-frog advances in ecological knowledge. In this talk I will summarize recent studies performed on long-distance avian migration using satellite telemetry. My research is aimed at addressing: (1) WHERE do European cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) travel after being experimentally displaced to Spain (away from their migration route between Sweden and Congo), thus testing avian navigation capabilities; (2) WHAT is the cost of migration within and between populations of white storks (Ciconia ciconia), addressing the evolution of life-history strategies; and (3) HOW do black kites (Milvus migrans) develop migratory performance as they age between 1 and 28 years old, addressing the ontogeny of avian movement and its consequences on reproduction and survival.