It is time to move: linking flight and foraging behaviour in a diving bird

• Published in: Biology Letters
• Main Authors: Pelletier, David, Guillemette, Magella, Grandbois, Jean-Marc, Butler, Patrick J
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 2007
• Subjects: Research Article; Common Eider; Somateria mollissima
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2111053; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17504730; https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2007.0088

Although the adaptive value of flight may seem obvious, it is the most difficult behaviour of birds to monitor. Here, we describe a technique to quantify the frequency and the duration of flights over several months by implanting a data logger that records heart rate (fH), hydrostatic pressure (diving depth) and the body angle of a large sea duck species, the common eider (Somateria mollissima). According to the mean fH recorded during flight and the parameters recorded to identify the fH flight signature, we were able to identify all flights performed by 13 individuals during eight months. We cumulated local flight time (outside migrations) and found that activity occurs primarily during dawn and morning and that flying activities are strongly related to diving activities (Pearson's r=0.88, permutation test p<0.001). This relationship was interpreted as a consequence of living in a dynamic environment where sea currents move the ducks away from the food patches. We believe that the technique described here will open new avenues of investigation in the adaptive value of flight.