Publication Cover
Chronobiology International
The Journal of Biological and Medical Rhythm Research
Volume 24, 2007 - Issue 2
122
Views
13
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original

Stable Individual Profiles of Daily Timing of Migratory Restlessness in European Quail

, , , &
Pages 253-267 | Received 19 Jul 2006, Accepted 20 Oct 2006, Published online: 07 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

Temporal characteristics of migratory behavior in birds are usually studied at the species and population levels, and rarely at the individual level. Variations among species and populations of the seasonal onset of migratory behavior have been widely investigated, but very little is known about its daily organization or whether birds are conservative in their behavior. The determination of intra‐ and inter‐individual variability is important for the study of genetic variations and can reveal the existence of different adaptation capacities within populations. This laboratory study analyzed intra‐ and inter‐individual variability of daily initiation and time course of nocturnal restlessness in partial‐migrant European quail (Coturnix coturnix coturnix). Thirty‐five quail were selected randomly from a captive stock, and their spring activity was recorded under natural daylenghs. Eighteen of the thirty‐five quail presented behavioral profiles of migrant birds. Migrant birds initiated their nocturnal activity punctually, and the time courses of the nocturnal activity of 88% of them revealed intra‐individual stability over six consecutive nights. All birds initiated their nocturnal activity after sunset and civil twilight, and they were more active at the beginning than the middle or end of the night, suggesting that their drive to migrate could be synchronized with particular skylight conditions. For the first time, stable individual profiles in the daily time course of migratory restlessness are shown. These results support previous findings concerning biological rhythms of quail and raise questions concerning the timing of migratory behavior.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 61.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 489.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.