Animation of the clustering of kittiwake breeding success with respect to sandeel sub-populations
Animation of the clustering of kittiwake breeding success with respect to sandeel sub-populations

Spatial synchrony of breeding success in the blacklegged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla reflects the spatial dynamics of its sandeel prey

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 22:25:20 GMT

Synchrony in demographic rates between spatially disjunct populations is a widespread phenomenon, although the underlying mechanisms are often not known.

A European Shag nest containing marine plastic litter
A European Shag nest containing marine plastic litter

Seabird nests are full of discarded plastic debris

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 00:00:00 BST

Plastic debris is often see incorporated in seabird nests. Surveys carried out in 2018 on an uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland found that more than a quarter of all nests contained plastic, while the presence of plastic debris in nests of European shags was as high as 80%. The difference between species may be explained by the way that plastic debris ends up in their nests.

Blue tit thermal image Eye region surface temperature reflects both energy reserves and circulating glucocorticoids in a wild bird

Eye region surface temperature reflects both energy reserves and circulating glucocorticoids in a wild bird

Blue Tit eye temperature video

 

Body temperature of wild birds shows considerable variation even within the same individual, but the sources of this variation are not fully understood. Here we used thermal imaging, a novel non-invasive method of temperature measurement, to record body temperature non-invasively in free-living Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) to show that body temperature can integrate multiple aspects of physiological state. 

Variation in body temperature can indicate how individuals cope with their environment via metabolic or stress-induced effects, both of which may relate to depletion of energy reserves. Body condition can reflect heat production through changes to metabolic rate made to protect energy reserves. Additionally, changes in metabolic processes may be mediated by stress-related glucocorticoid secretion, which is associated with altered blood-flow patterns that affect regional body temperatures. Accordingly, both body condition and glucocorticoid secretion should relate to body temperature. Used thermal imaging we investigated the relationships between body condition, glucocorticoid secretion and body temperature in wild blue tits. Body temperature were measured as the temperature of the blue tits' eye region. Individuals with lower body condition had lower eye-region surface temperature in both non-breeding and breeding seasons. Eye-region surface temperature was also negatively correlated with baseline circulating glucocorticoid levels in non-breeding birds. Thus, remotely-measured body surface temperature could be used to assess such aspects of physiological state non-invasively in free-living animals at multiple life history stages.

Jerem et al 2018 Scientific Reports doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-20240-4

European Herring Gull in Flight
European Herring Gull in Flight

Does it matter what gulls eat?

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 17:04:00 BST

Gulls are well known as generalist that may eat about anything that you could imagine a gull can eat (and some things you better don’t imagine they would eat). Sometimes their success to be such a widespread species occupying most of the coastline has been attributed to their very broad diet niche.

black skimmer from Bianca
black skimmer from Bianca

Photography as an efficient tool to study moult

Tue, 13 Dec 2016 14:20:00 GMT

Bird feathers fulfill several roles but must be in good condition to efficiently function. To maintain the feathers in a good state of repair birds regularly replace their old feathers with new ones during moult. This is a costly process and of interest to avian ecologists. To study moult, ornithologists needed to catch birds, but this may no longer necessary.

Herring gulls sitting in a row
Herring gulls sitting in a row

DECLINES IN GULLS, A CONSERVATION CONUNDRUM

Wed, 06 Jul 2016 17:48:00 BST

Gulls have increasingly become a familiar sight in cities, in particular in the UK over recent years. While some welcome watching beautiful wildlife at their doorstep, others are concerned about the possible nuisance the urban gulls may cause. But why have gulls increased in our cities? Most people probably don't realise that despite having become such a familiar sight in cities, these same gull species have actually shown dramatic declines in their natural habitat.

Taking stress out of measuring stress: how to get the images you need

Mon, 16 Nov 2015 14:54:00 GMT

Being stressed is a feeling we only know too well. And we try our best to avoid it. It is also something that we must avoid to inflict on animals we use and we care for. But how do we know that an animal is stressed?

Thermal Image HG Maureen Ellis
Thermal Image HG Maureen Ellis

A Thermographic Health Check

Fri, 16 Jan 2015 12:25:00 GMT

An increasing number of birds now fly around with fancy equipment ties to them recording all sorts of information. But what effect has this payload into the animal carrying it. Thermal imaging could be one way to find out.

Thermal Image Chickehead
Thermal Image Chickehead

Stress is Cool

Wed, 07 Jan 2015 18:20:00 GMT

Back to work after the holidays and feeling stressed out? We all know what it feels like to be stressed but how can we detect its in others, aside from being snapped at by a colleague at the water filter. How can we detect stress in animals?

Zebra finch pair
Zebra finch pair

Inbreeding Depression in Incubation Behaviour

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 12:29:00 GMT

It is well-known that inbreeding causes physical defects, but what about more subtle effects. We looked at the parenting ability of inbred zebra finches. Offspring of inbred parents may survive less well because of reduced parental care

Great Tit nest
Great Tit nest

Clutch size increases with increasing nest size in birds

Thu, 09 Oct 2014 21:13:00 BST

Bird populations using nest boxes are a classic study system to test evolutionary and ecological hypothesis. An important aspect of such studies is the measurement of reproductive success of individuals. Yet the very tool that makes them attractive for population studies, that they use nest boxes, also affects how many eggs they will lay, an important aspect of reproductive success.