![]() ![]() “It is fascinating just how much we are still to learn about avian migration and exciting new things emerge regularly. ![]() If they do not get food or rest, their immune systems cannot recover – which is when they risk becoming ill,” says Arne Hegemann.īy collecting and comparing data from different individuals and species, the researchers show that free-flying migratory birds can restore several parameters of immune function during stopovers stationary periods between flights. “If you see a little bird in your garden or in the park during the autumn and you know that it is heading to southern Europe or Africa, it is fascinating to think about why it is taking a break. Researchers have examined small migratory birds - such as chaffinches, dunnocks and common redstarts - and analysed how their immune system changes when they take a break during their migration. ![]() That is not just for the purpose of refuelling, you might also need to recover,” says Arne Hegemann, biologist at Lund University who conducted the study with colleagues from the Institute for Avian Research in Germany. You could compare it to pulling off the motorway into a service station. Our study shows that migratory birds’ stops serve other purposes, besides just ‘refuelling.’ They also need other physiological systems to recover. “This is the first time that this has been demonstrated in wild migratory birds. Subscribe to Technology Networks’ daily newsletter, delivering breaking science news straight to your inbox every day. ![]()
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