Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 24 December 2004:
Vol. 306. no. 5705, p. 2160
DOI: 10.1126/science.306.5705.2160h
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

This Week in Science

Greater insights into the details of bird migration requires following and sampling individual birds. Using stable isotopes from feather samples, Norris et al. (p. 2249; see the cover and the Perspective by Hill) show that American redstarts migrating from Canada to the tropics adopt a strategy of molting during migration, which results in the overlap of two energetically costly activities of the annual cycle. A tradeoff was observed between molting during migration versus the timing and amount of parental care adults provide during the previous breeding season. Thus, events during a short period of the annual cycle can produce lasting effects on a migratory animal.




To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)