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Updated: Feb 26, 2026
10:07
Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds
Published on: November 6, 2015
14.1K
Effects of Partner Workload and Increasing Environmental Temperature on Nestling Provisioning and Body Temperature in
Megan C Heft1, Bronwen Hennigar1, Gary Burness2
1Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
Summary
Male tree swallows limit offspring feeding rates to avoid overheating, even when given ways to cool down. Female behavior mirrored males, suggesting sex-specific responses to climate warming.
Area of Science:
- Avian biology
- Climate change ecology
- Animal physiology
Background:
- Birds face increasing thermoregulatory challenges due to climate change.
- Female tree swallows' (Tachycineta bicolor) provisioning is limited by overheating risk.
- Parental investment strategies may differ between sexes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of thermal environment on male tree swallows' provisioning behavior.
- To determine if males adjust provisioning to avoid overheating.
- To compare male and female responses to thermal stress.
Main Methods:
- Experimentally trimmed ventral feathers of male tree swallows to create a "thermal window" for heat dissipation.
- Remotely monitored provisioning rates and core body temperatures of male and female tree swallows.
- Compared provisioning rates and body temperatures between control and trimmed males, and their female partners.
Main Results:
- All males, regardless of feather trimming, reduced nestling provisioning rates at high temperatures.
- Trimmed males maintained core body temperatures similar to control males.
- Males appear to limit provisioning to avoid overheating, unlike previously observed in females.
- Females matched their activity to their male partners' regardless of male treatment.
Conclusions:
- Male tree swallows proactively limit provisioning to avoid overheating, irrespective of experimental cooling.
- Sex-specific thermal physiology and behavioral adjustments are crucial for predicting avian responses to climate warming.
- Further research is needed to understand the costs of female behavioral adjustments.
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