Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Migration00:53

Migration

8.1K
Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.
8.1K
Optimal Foraging00:48

Optimal Foraging

12.6K
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
12.6K
Requirements for Human Life01:26

Requirements for Human Life

11.5K
The Earth and its atmosphere have provided humans with air, water, and food, but these are not the only requirements for survival. Humans also require a specific range of temperature and pressure that the Earth and its atmosphere provides.
Oxygen
Atmospheric air is only about 20 percent oxygen, but that oxygen is a key component of the chemical reactions that keep the body alive, including the reactions that produce ATP. Brain cells are susceptible to a lack of oxygen because they require a...
11.5K
Factors Affecting Respiration01:24

Factors Affecting Respiration

8.0K
Respiration is a crucial physiological function involving exchanging oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) between an organism and its environment. Various factors can impact this essential process:
8.0K
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

29.8K
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
29.8K
Conservation of Declining Populations02:07

Conservation of Declining Populations

11.0K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
11.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Extreme site fidelity in long-distance migratory shorebirds in Australia and potential implications for conservation.

Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology·2026
Same author

Invasive songbirds show greater heat, but not cold, tolerance than Mediterranean native counterparts.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026
Same author

Molluscivorous red knots rapidly adjust to a plant diet.

Biology open·2026
Same author

Experimental evidence for flexibility in provisioning behavior in a cooperatively breeding bird.

Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology·2026
Same author

Using Historic and Contemporary Genomes to Assess the Genetic Consequences of a Population Decline in an Endangered Tern Population.

Evolutionary applications·2026
Same author

China's intertidal mariculture as an unexpected lifeline sustaining the world's most threatened shorebird flyway.

Nature communications·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 25, 2025

A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects
07:42

A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects

Published on: December 10, 2015

17.4K

Bird migration: Flying high to avoid overheating?

Theunis Piersma1, Jorge S Gutiérrez2

  • 1Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands; NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands.

Current Biology : CB
|August 10, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Migrating great snipes fly at high altitudes, over two kilometers high, during the day. They descend to lower altitudes at night, a behavior whose purpose remains a mystery.

More Related Videos

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats
04:55

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Published on: June 17, 2020

3.7K
Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill
07:37

Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill

Published on: August 6, 2018

7.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 25, 2025

A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects
07:42

A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects

Published on: December 10, 2015

17.4K
Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats
04:55

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Published on: June 17, 2020

3.7K
Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill
07:37

Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill

Published on: August 6, 2018

7.8K

Area of Science:

  • Ornithology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Bioacoustics

Background:

  • Bird migration is a complex phenomenon involving long-distance seasonal movements.
  • Understanding flight altitudes and patterns is crucial for deciphering migratory strategies.
  • Recent advancements in tracking technology enable detailed analysis of avian flight behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the diurnal variation in flight altitudes of migrating great snipes.
  • To analyze the relationship between flight altitude and time of day in this species.
  • To explore potential ecological or physiological drivers for observed flight patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized advanced GPS tracking devices to monitor great snipe migration routes.
  • Recorded high-resolution flight altitude data over extended periods.
  • Correlated altitude data with time of day (day vs. night) and environmental factors.

Main Results:

  • Great snipes consistently fly at significantly higher altitudes during daytime (over 2 km).
  • A distinct pattern of descending to lower altitudes was observed during nighttime hours.
  • No immediate environmental factors fully explained this pronounced diurnal altitude shift.

Conclusions:

  • The study reveals a novel high-altitude daytime flight strategy in migrating great snipes.
  • The ecological or evolutionary reasons for this behavior require further investigation.
  • This finding opens new avenues for research into avian navigation and energy conservation.