Migratory restlessness in the Yellow‐faced Honeyeater Lichenostomus chrysops(Meliphagidae), an Australian diurnal migrant

Abstract

The Yellow‐faced Honeyeater Lichenostomus chrysops is a diurnal migrant which covers short to moderate distances in eastern Australia. Recordings of locomotor activity of nine wild‐caught Yellow‐faced Honeyeaters kept under a simulated natural photoperiod in the laboratory over a period of 13 months showed that these birds exhibit a distinct seasonal pattern in hopping activity. Two major seasonal peaks of enhanced activity were observed. The first occurred during the time of autumn migration in March to July, while a second peak from September to December coincided roughly with spring migration. Daily activity patterns of Yellow‐faced Honeyeaters showed two major peaks. The first peak ranged from the early morning hours to approximately early afternoon, while a second smaller peak was observed in the late afternoon. During their migratory periods in spring and autumn, the morning as well as the afternoon peaks were considerably higher than in months when Yellow‐faced Honeyeaters do not migrate.

Bird migration in the southern hemisphere: a review comparing continents

“…The honeyeater migrates north-east up the eastern coast and along the Great Divide and associated tablelands of Australia in the autumn until it reaches south-eastern Queensland whereupon it turns north-west. Like northern migrants these birds show increased activity in laboratory cages at the time of migration, change diet (to feeding on more nectar), deposit fat, and orient in Emlen funnels in the direction predicted by the migration pathway, including the change in orientation from north-east to north-west at mid-course (Munro and Wiltschko 1992;Munro et al 1993;Munro and Munro 1998;Munro 2003). These diurnal migrants use both celestial and magnetic cues for orientation like well-studied nocturnal northern migrants (Wiltschko and Wiltschko 1995).…”

Daily and seasonal activity patterns of partially migratory and nonmigratory subspecies of the Australian silvereye, Zosterops lateralis, in captivity

“…In our study the daily activity patterns of the Tasmanian birds resembled those of these honeyeaters, which incorporate the increased activity of migration into their diurnal activity (Munro and Munro 1998).…”

“…This suggests that captivity affected the activity of both subspecies, although the precise reasons for this effect remain unclear and may differ between subspecies due to their lifestyles and physiology (e.g., Munro et al 2006). It is possible that the inability to breed altered the birds' natural annual cycle and subsequent seasonal events (see Munro and Munro 1998). For the Tasmanian birds, the decline in activity after molt was particularly obvious, with birds failing to produce the activity peak of the previous autumn.…”

“…They are also partial migrants, with members of more southerly populations migrating, while those of northerly populations do not (Higgins et al 2006). Munro and Munro (1998) recorded increased locomotor activity in captive yellow-faced honeyeaters corresponding to the migratory periods in free-living birds and to the times when significant seasonal orientation was recorded in captive birds (Munro 1992;Munro and Wiltschko 1992). This increased activity was incorporated into the diurnal activity of the birds, with heightened activity during the two peaks of daily activity.…”

“…This is particularly the case in Australia, where many of the migrants are partial and/or short distance migrants (Nix 1976;Chan 2001;Griffioen and Clarke 2002). To date, studies on Australian passerines have been conducted on two unrelated species from southeastern Australia, the diurnally migratory yellow-faced honeyeater, Lichenostomus chrysops (Meliphagidae), (Munro and Munro 1998) and the Australian silvereye, Zosterops lateralis (Zosteropidae), (Chan 1994(Chan , 1995, which displays both diurnal and nocturnal migration. Both species migrate along the east coast of Australia (up to a maximum distance of around 1,700 km) (Robertson 1971;Lane 1972a) and are regarded as short distance migrants.…”