Like father like child: male parents lead young birds on first migration


Date:
March 25, 2022
Source:
University of Helsinki
Summary:
GPS tracking of Caspian terns showed that male parents carry the
main responsibility for leading young during their first migration
from the Baltic Sea to Africa.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
GPS tracking of Caspian terns showed that male parents carry the main responsibility for leading young during their first migration from the
Baltic Sea to Africa.


==========================================================================
Bird migration has fascinated human minds for millennia. How do these
creatures learn to find their way to distant wintering locations? In
a new study published in Nature Communications, a team of researchers
from Finland, Sweden and the UK tracked entire bird families with GPS
devices to find out.

"We wanted to get a better idea of how the migratory skills of birds are
passed from one generation to another in a species where individuals
normally migrate together," says lead author Patrik Byholm of the
University of Helsinki.

While it is well known that many birds migrate in groups, only limited information has previously been available on how individuals migrating
together actually interact while travelling. Using the Caspian tern --
a fish-eating waterbird that normally migrates in small groups -- as
a study system, the researchers found that adult males carry the main responsibility for teaching young the secrets of migration. Guiding
behaviour is normally the responsibility of the biological father,
although in one case a foster male adopted the role.

"This is very fascinating behaviour, which we really did not expect to
find when setting up our study," Byholm says.

Learning the right routes is critical for survival Careful analysis
concerning the movements of the migrating birds showed that young
individuals always remained close to an adult bird, and young birds that
lost contact with their parent died. This indicates that, in Caspian
terns at least, it is of utmost importance for the young to migrate
together with an experienced adult to survive their first migration.

The question remains unclear why the males, instead of the females, are
mainly engaged in leading their young on their first migration southwards.

Importantly, the study also shows that during their first solo migration
back to their breeding grounds, young terns used the same migratory
routes they took with their father on their first journey south.

"This indicates that in Caspian terns, migration knowledge is inherited
through culture from one generation to another. This has consequences
on the decisions individuals make years after they first migrated with
their father," comments co-author Susanne AAkesson, from Lund University, Sweden.

These findings are also important for understanding whether Caspian
terns and other migratory birds can persist in the face of global
climate change and widespread habitat loss. Their future depends on how effectively the knowledge of successful migratory routes and stopover
sites is transmitted from one generation to the next.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Helsinki. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Patrik Byholm, Martin Beal, Natalie Isaksson, Ulrik Lo"tberg,
Susanne
AAkesson. Paternal transmission of migration knowledge in a
long-distance bird migrant. Nature Communications, 2022; 13 (1)
DOI: 10.1038/s41467- 022-29300-w ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220325122701.htm

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