Static landscape features predict uplift locations for soaring birds across Europe

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Biomechanics
• Avian Biology

Background:

• Soaring flight conserves energy by utilizing atmospheric uplifts.
• Uplift availability is influenced by weather and landscape structure.
• Understanding movement costs is crucial for flying animals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if static landscape features can predict uplift availability and intensity.
• To map uplift distribution and movement costs across Europe.
• To link energy expenditure to landscape structure for soaring birds.

Main Methods:

• Utilized white stork (Ciconia ciconia) flight data (locations, vertical speeds) as proxies for uplift.
• Analyzed static landscape features (topography, land cover) to predict uplift patterns.
• Assessed energy expenditure using body dynamic acceleration.

Main Results:

• Static landscape features effectively predicted uplift occurrence and intensity.
• Fewer uplifts correlated with higher energy expenditure (acceleration) in storks.
• A map of uplift availability was generated as a proxy for movement costs.

Conclusions:

• Static landscape features are reliable predictors of soaring flight costs.
• A direct link exists between landscape structure and flying animal energy expenditure.
• The uplift map aids in identifying low-cost corridors and informing conservation planning.