A bird in the bush is worth -- a lot

By Steven Schultz on June 17, 2003, 4:22 p.m.

Highway travelers know the relief of finding a great place to stay after a long night on the road. Migrating birds are no different. A study led by a Princeton researcher has shown that birds expend more energy seeking food and shelter between the legs of their journey than they do flying.

"Flight itself is costly, but foraging and preparing for the flight is even more costly," said Martin Wikelski, a biologist and lead author of a study that involved tracking birds for hundreds of miles as they traversed the American Midwest.

One implication of the finding is that urban and suburban homeowners play a critical role in preserving migratory routes. The birds followed in the study often stopped in the backyards of populated areas to look for food and prepare for the next flight. "You really have to keep your garden in good shape so the birds can come through and make it up to Canada," Wikelski said. Migrating birds need bushes and some natural undergrowth, not just lawn and flower gardens, he said.

More details are available in a news release.

Related Stories

Biologist flies with the birds .

Study on shorebirds suggests that when conserving species, not all land is equal .

Princeton researchers may have solved the long-standing puzzle of why migratory shorebirds around the world are plummeting several times faster than coastal ecosystems are being developed. They discovered that shorebirds overwhelmingly rely on tidal zones closest to dry land, which are most often lost to development. The findings suggest that protecting species require a detailed understanding of how animals interact with the landscape so that preserved habitats best serve endangered species’ needs.

Tiny transmitters allow researchers to follow flies .

On the New Jersey shore, many signs of the changing seasons do not differ greatly from those found elsewhere in the country. V-shaped flocks of geese and twittering masses of songbirds course over the dunes as the migrants head for milder latitudes. But as Princeton’s Martin Wikelski and his research team found out last fall, some other, less-expected travelers are adding their own buzzing chorus to the migration song.

Research Notes - Fall 2007 .

Welcome to Research Notes, an online publication highlighting recent Princeton University research in the physical and social sciences, engineering, and the humanities.

Study shows how migrating birds navigate
 .

Satellite system may give ecologists a bird's-eye view .

Aerospace engineering professor Jeremy Kasdin usually designs space systems to search for distant planets, but his latest endeavor is on the lookout for creatures close to Earth. Kasdin and Martin Wikelski, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, have collaborated with faculty colleagues and students to develop an innovative satellite system to track the migratory patterns of small birds. The researchers are now seeking support to launch the project.

Eyes on the environment .

In studying the ecological concerns related to oil palm, Princeton ecologist David Wilcove also is analyzing the industry's economic and social impact -- an approach that defines his mission as a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and public affairs, and as director of the Program in Environmental Studies. In his research and teaching, Wilcove marries scientific expertise with policy studies in trying to identify solutions to some of the world's most pressing environmental problems.