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

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.
Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.For one, natural selection can only act upon existing genetic variation. Hypothetically, redtusks may enhance elephant survival by deterring ivory-seeking poachers. However, if there are no gene variants—or alleles—for redtusks, natural selection cannot increase the prevalence of...
Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses02:45

Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses

The circadian—or biological—clock is an intrinsic, timekeeping, molecular mechanism that allows plants to coordinate physiological activities over 24-hour cycles called circadian rhythms. Photoperiodism is a collective term for the biological responses of plants to variations in the relative lengths of dark and light periods. The period of light-exposure is called the photoperiod.
Conservation of Declining Populations02:07

Conservation of Declining Populations

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.
Optimal Foraging00:48

Optimal Foraging

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.
Variability: Analysis01:11

Variability: Analysis

Measures of variability are statistical metrics that reveal the dispersion pattern within a dataset. They are pivotal in biostatistics, providing insights into the heterogeneity within health and biological data. Variability signifies the degree to which data points diverge from one another, helping researchers understand the potential range of values and associated uncertainty within the data.
The range is a simple measure of variability, indicating the difference between the highest and...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Divergent climate impacts despite similar response to temperature in a widespread aerial insectivore.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Structuring the skies: Diel dynamics of migratory animal movement in the lower atmosphere.

Ecology·2025
Same author

From Spurious Interference to Biological Signal: Repurposing Weather Radars to Monitor and Study the Amazonian Avifauna.

Ecology and evolution·2025
Same author

KAT6A and KAT7 Histone Acetyltransferase Complexes Are Molecular Dependencies and Therapeutic Targets in NUP98-Rearranged Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Cancer discovery·2025
Same author

Assessing the Corn Belt as an anthropogenic barrier to migrating landbirds in the United States.

Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology·2025
Same author

Shifts in avian migration phenologies do not compensate for changes to conditions en route in spring and fall.

Ecology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern
04:10

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

Within-Night Variation in Predictor Importance Highlights Dynamic Nature of Bird Migration.

Miguel F Jimenez1,2, Ali Khalighifar1,3, Kyle G Horton1,4

  • 1Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.

Ecology Letters
|June 10, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Predicting nocturnal bird migration using weather radar reveals atmospheric conditions are key drivers. Migration is a dynamic process, not fixed routes, with factors like time after sunset influencing activity.

Keywords:
aeroecologybird migrationecological forecastingradar ornithologyremote sensing

More Related Videos

An Experimental Approach to Investigating Effects of Artificial Light at Night on Free-Ranging Animals: Implementation, Results, and Directions for Future Research
06:16

An Experimental Approach to Investigating Effects of Artificial Light at Night on Free-Ranging Animals: Implementation, Results, and Directions for Future Research

Published on: February 2, 2022

A Computational Method to Quantify Fly Circadian Activity
13:05

A Computational Method to Quantify Fly Circadian Activity

Published on: October 28, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern
04:10

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

An Experimental Approach to Investigating Effects of Artificial Light at Night on Free-Ranging Animals: Implementation, Results, and Directions for Future Research
06:16

An Experimental Approach to Investigating Effects of Artificial Light at Night on Free-Ranging Animals: Implementation, Results, and Directions for Future Research

Published on: February 2, 2022

A Computational Method to Quantify Fly Circadian Activity
13:05

A Computational Method to Quantify Fly Circadian Activity

Published on: October 28, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Ornithology
  • Conservation Science

Background:

  • Ecological forecasting is vital for effective conservation strategies.
  • Nocturnal bird migration prediction is crucial but understudied at fine temporal scales.
  • Weather surveillance radar offers potential for detailed migration analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the dynamic drivers of nocturnal bird migration at fine temporal scales (2-hour periods).
  • To assess the relative importance of terrestrial, atmospheric, and sampling predictors across spring and fall migration.
  • To understand the temporal variability in factors influencing bird migration behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized weather surveillance radar data to analyze migration patterns.
  • Examined migration drivers in 2-hour intervals throughout the night.
  • Assessed predictor importance across spring and fall seasons, considering terrestrial, atmospheric, and sampling variables.

Main Results:

  • Atmospheric conditions were consistently strong predictors of nocturnal bird migration.
  • Terrestrial predictors showed minimal contribution to explaining migration activity variations.
  • Sampling variables, particularly time after sunset, demonstrated significant, time-dependent influence.

Conclusions:

  • Nocturnal bird migration is a dynamic, adaptive process influenced by continuous environmental adjustments.
  • Weather radar is valuable for tracking habitat transitions and understanding fine-scale migratory behavior.
  • Temporal variability in migration drivers highlights the need for dynamic forecasting models in conservation.