Zugunruhe
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In ethology, zugunruhe is anxious behavior in migratory animals, especially in birds. When these animals are enclosed, such as in an Emlen funnel, zugunruhe serves to study the seasonal cycles of the migratory syndrome. Zugunruhe involves increased activity towards and after dusk with changes in the normal sleep pattern. Behaviourists have been able to study the endocrine controls and navigational mechanisms associated with migration from studying zugunruhe.[1][2]
This term is German in origin and is a compound of Zug (move, migration) and Unruhe (anxiety, restlessness).
Adrenocortical hormones are known to act in concert with prolactin in stimulating this behavior in White-crowned Sparrows.[citation needed]
The phenomenon of Zugunruhe is generally believed to be found only in migratory species, however study of resident species shows low-level Zugunruhe, including the oriented activity, suggesting that the endogenous mechanisms for migratory behaviour may be present even in resident species.[1] Further suggestions for endogenous programs are provided by observations that the number of nights on which Zugunruhe is exhibited by caged migrants appears related to the distance of migration involved.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Helm, B.; Gwinner, E. (2006). "Migratory Restlessness in an Equatorial Nonmigratory Bird.". PLoS Biol. 4 (4): e110. doi:.
- ^ Pott, Jaime (1998). "Arrival Time from Spring Migration in Male Pied Flycatchers: Individual Consistency and Familial Resemblance.". The Condor 100 (4): 702-708. doi:.
- ^ Gwinner, Eberhard (1977). "Circannual rhythms in bird migration.". Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 8: 381-405.
