Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) Science Article 1 abstract We tested the hypotheses that the relationship between heart rate (fH) and the rate of oxygen consumption (V . O,) differs between walking and flying in geese and that fH and O, have a U-shaped relationship with flight speed. We trained barnacle geese Branta leucopsis (mean mass […]
Breeding range translates into staging site choice: Baltic and Arctic Barnacle geese Branta leucopsis use different habitats at a Dutch Wadden Sea Island.
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) Science Article 8 abstract Habitat use of two populations of Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis, one arctic and one temperate breeding, was studied on Schiermonnikoog, an island in the Dutch Wadden Sea, during winter and spring 1988/89. Although both populations have overlapping winter ranges, habitat choice on a smaller scale differed in […]
The importance of pre-breeding areas for the arctic Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) Science Article 9 abstract Before the final move to their breeding sites, many arctic-nesting geese visit staging areas close by, so called pre-breeding areas. The present study investigated the timing of migration by Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis in relation to the dynamics in body stores during this period. The study area […]
A note on migration ecology, population status and interactions with agriculture of Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis in Estonia.
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) Science Article 4 abstract The first all-Estonian count of Barnacle GeeseBranta leucopsis took place in spring 1968, whenabout 10 000 staging geese were counted (Kumari1971). In the first half of the 1970s the number ofgeese was estimated at 15 000-20 000 (Jagi 1976).Since 1974 aerial counts have been made to estimatetheir […]
Surfing on a green wave-how plant growth drives spring migration in the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) Science Article 11 abstract The nutritional quality of forage plants varies in space and time. This variation is presumed to drive the annual migration of herbivore species which follow peaks in the availability of high quality forage between sites. The green-wave-hypothesis predicts that during spring migration to northern breeding sites, geese […]
Spring stopover routines in Russian Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis tracked by resightings and geolocation
Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) Science Article 10 abstract By attaching 9-g loggers (recording dusk and dawn times to a memory chip) to the coded leg rings of Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis caught in a breeding colony at Tobseda (68 deg 35’N, 52 deg 20’E) on the arctic coast of the Russian Federation in 2003 and […]
Bill edge development as a reliable character for discriminating two age classes within juvenile Swallows Hirundo rustica
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Science Article 3 abstract To compare fitness data not only between adults and juveniles but also between recently-fledged and older juvenile Swallows we looked for an externally-visible character to distinguish these two cohorts in the field. So far, no such criteria seem to have been described (Svensson 1992, Suter 1985, Cramp […]
Repeatability of reproductive traits in female Barn Swallows Hirurcdo rustica
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Science Article 2 abstract The constancy of laying date, clutch size, numbers of hatchlings and fledglings,and mean egg volume per clutch was studied in female Barn SwallowsHirundo rustica in central Poland in 1994-97 . Laying dates of firstclutches, clutch size, the number of hatchlings and fledglings and egg volumeshowed significant repeatability. […]
Time of roosting of Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica at an Irish reedbed during autumn migration.
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Science Article 8 abstract Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica roosting time was studied at a south-coast Irish reedbed during 2003 to 2006. Roosting time varied between 11 and 35 minutes after sunset. There was no significant difference in roosting time after sunset across years. Roosting time (relative to sunset) was later in […]
Body moult and autumn migration in the barn swallow Hirundo rustica: is there a cost of moulting late?
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Science Article 4 abstract The timing of moult in birds is thought to be constrained by physiological trade-offs. We studied barn swallows in central Spain to assess whether (a) body moult tends to be temporally separated from migration in adult and first-year birds, (b) it is related to an impaired fattening, […]