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Nutrition and Food Selection in Migratory Birds

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Bird Migration

Abstract

The main fuel for migratory flights in many bird species is fat that is deposited in the bird’s body in large amounts prior to, and during migration (Berthold 1975; Blem 1980; Dawson et al. 1983). The extent of migratory fat deposition correlates positively with distance (Berthold 1984). Thus, long-distance migrants exhibit the greatest changes in body mass, with gains of up to 100% above nonmigratory levels. In nature, fat deposition occurs primarily just before the crossing of major ecological barriers (e.g. seas and deserts), with maximum rates of net daily gain of more than 10% of lean body mass (e.g. Bairlein 1987b, 1988). Such a period of exceptional energetic demands requires appropriate nutritional strategies. Furthermore, free-living migrants must choose from a broad range of foods differing in morphology and nutrient contents. In this chapter, I will review nutritional adaptations and aspects of food selection in migrants which appear to correspond to their migratory requirements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Physiological Ecology Section, University of Köln, Weyertal 119, D-5000, Köln 41, Germany

    F. Bairlein

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  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensphysiologie Vogelwarte, D-8138, Andechs, Germany

    Eberhard Gwinner

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Bairlein, F. (1990). Nutrition and Food Selection in Migratory Birds. In: Gwinner, E. (eds) Bird Migration. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74542-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74542-3_14

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