Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Bird ringing is a key ecological research technique that involves the capture and \nhandling of birds. It is used extensively to obtain information on population dynamics \nof wild birds, and many aspects of avian behavior, physiology and life-history, which \nwould otherwise be unfeasible to obtain. Despite millions of birds ringed every year, \nlittle is known about the short- or long-term impacts on birds, and whether there are \nnegative welfare, conservation and scientific consequences, which can ultimately \nbias the interpretation of data from wild bird studies. In this thesis I study the type of \nintrusion that capture and handling causes to the bird, by analyzing their interlinked \nphysiological and behavioral responses to capture stress, including hormonal and \nimmunological responses, energy regulation decisions (feeding behavior and \nthermal regulation) and breeding effort. I further study the immediate effects that \ncapture and handling has on birds through analyzing types of injuries and the rates \nat which injuries and mortality occur. I have focused mainly on mist-netting, which is \nthe most widely used capture technique, and captures of passerine birds, which is \nthe most frequently sampled taxon. However, I also demonstrate how the impacts of \ncapture and handling can be studied in marine birds and applied to other capture \nmethods. These studies reveal the range of short-term impacts that capture and \nhandling may have on wild birds, and highlight aspects of methodology that have a \nstrong effect on these impacts. The longer term consequences for lifetime fitness \nand demographic change require further study. This thesis demonstrated the \nimportance for researchers to be aware of the potential effects of their activities on \ntheir study subjects, particularly for susceptible species and situations, and to \ncontinuously reasses their methods for effective improvement. I propose several \nguidelines, which aim to promote the birds’ welfare in regards to data collection.
Author: Leila Duarte
Language: English
Topic: Avian ecology and behavior
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1581653806