En route activity of Chilean Elaenia, a long-distance migratory bird in South America

Cueto, V. R.; Gorosito, C. A.; Brown, G. M.; Jahn, A. E.

doi:10.1101/2024.08.26.609733

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.08.26.609733

En route activity of Chilean Elaenia, a long-distance migratory bird in South America

Cueto, V. R.·Gorosito, C. A.·Brown, G. M.·Jahn, A. E.

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Abstract

The logistics of measuring activities that occur at fine temporal scales, such as short stopovers that last a few hours, has proven very challenging when studying small migratory birds. Here, we deployed multi-loggers equipped with an accelerometer and thermometer on Chilean Elaenia (Elaenia chilensis) to evaluate their activity patterns while they undertook their annual migration from their Patagonian breeding grounds to non-breeding zones in Brazil. Results show that elaenias can fly at altitudes of >1500 masl and migrate nocturnally, providing the first evidence of this behavior in a Neotropical austral migrant. Although most migration flights lasted less than 8 h, one individual flew non-stop for more than 28 h. Overall activity patterns (e.g., flight and stopover duration) were not substantially different between pre- and post-breeding migration. This technology offers a window into the migratory behavior of small birds that migrate within the Neotropics at a finer temporal scale than previously possible.

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Cueto, V. R., Gorosito, C. A., Brown, G. M., Jahn, A. E.. 2024-08-27. En route activity of Chilean Elaenia, a long-distance migratory bird in South America. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.26.609733

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