Wednesday, 5 January 2011

Go West, Young Kittiwake!

A recent study has demonstrated that Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) who successfully breed in the UK have dissipated the energy reserves they would need to make the winter migration to the USA or Canada (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/05/kittiwakes-wintering-breeding-success). Breeders simply sit out in the Atlantic. This is a nice demonstration of how energetics influences animal behaviour and how dependent they can be on 'trade-offs' (in this case procreation versus migration).
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