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

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Abstract

We recorded the locomotor activity of the partially migratory Tasmanian silvereye, Zosterops l. lateralis, and the nonmigratory mainland silvereye, Z. l. familiaris, continuously over 17 and 15 months, respectively, to identify daily and seasonal patterns. While graphing the data showed several trends, statistical analysis did not reveal a significant difference between subspecies, making this study mainly descriptive in nature. The lack of statistical differentiation was possibly due to the low number of study animals and similarities between them. During the first year in captivity, the Tasmanian birds displayed heightened activity during the migratory periods, which was most likely migratory restlessness. The Tasmanian birds did not show any nocturnal activity as in previous laboratory and field studies, rather their activity patterns were similar to those of diurnal migrants, possibly reflecting the temporally variable nature of their migration. Although the Tasmanian birds displayed higher overall activity levels than the mainland birds during the first year in captivity, the activity patterns were similar between the subspecies. Captivity appeared to influence the activity of both subspecies in the second year of the study; following the onset of molt, neither subspecies regained the activity levels of the previous year, nor did activity follow the same pattern. Possible reasons (e.g., prevention of breeding) for this are discussed. This is the most detailed study to date on the daily and seasonal activity patterns of an Australian bird in captivity.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by an Australian Research Council Large Grant to U.M. We thank Alan Leishman, Kathleen McCloskey, Alan Fletcher, Francoise Matter, Sirena Wan, Audrey Thomson, Esther Rosner, and Boris Kosnowski for their assistance in catching and maintaining the birds in captivity. Wolfgang Wiltschko donated the perches for the activity recording. Gerhard Koertner built and installed the recording system and developed its software. We also thank the staff of the technical workshop and of security for the Kuring-gai campus of UTS for their assistance, and two anonymous reviewers, who commented on earlier drafts of the manuscript. This experiment complies with the current laws of Australia.

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  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, 2007, Australia

    Julie R. Funnell & Ursula Munro

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  1. Julie R. Funnell
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  2. Ursula Munro
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Correspondence to Ursula Munro.

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Funnell, J.R., Munro, U. Daily and seasonal activity patterns of partially migratory and nonmigratory subspecies of the Australian silvereye, Zosterops lateralis, in captivity. J Ethol 28, 471–482 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-010-0210-8

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