Biology Education

Department of Biology | Lund University

Nocturnal bird migration under the sun

Bird migration is to a large degree a nocturnal affair, as many passerines start their migratory flights soon after sunset and fly until early morning. It is however unclear how this pattern is affected by the large differences in night length that birds experience at different latitudes and with seasonal progression. When migrating at high latitudes the midnight sun means that there is no “night” at all for parts on the year, so what does this mean for the nocturnal schedule?

Using weather radar data we can identify the start and end of bird migratory movements at 14 different sites in Sweden, ranging from Kiruna to Ängelholm. Comparing the initiation and cessation of migration at different night lengths can give us clues to what cues birds use to initiate migration, and why so many birds migrate during night at all. I am looking for a motivated student analyze weather radar data of migratory activity in relation to night length at different sites and times.

Required knowledge: Comfortable with, or willing to learn, to analyse data in either excel or R.

Length of the project:  MSc or BSc, flexible depending on depth of analysis

Start date: Flexible

Contact info: Cecilia Nilsson, Cecilia.nilsson@biol.lu.se

http://cnilsson.science

https://portal.research.lu.se/sv/persons/cecilia-nilsson

 

 

February 3, 2025

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