The true cost of migration: testing the species-energy hypothesis by quantifying the energy budget of free flying avian migrants under spatially explicit environmental conditions

The EU is home to over 500 wild bird species. Urban sprawl has reduced bird habitats and intensive agriculture has diminished food supplies. Migratory birds, which travel back and forth between breeding grounds and wintering places, are declining in numbers. The EU-funded TesSEH project will develop a novel, integrated approach to quantify the true energetic costs in the natural environment across a continuum of flight strategies. It will also calibrate metabolic costs under controlled settings to transform the research field of energetics. The findings will significantly contribute to biogeographic theory and boost our understanding of energetically efficient physiological traits. The project will ultimately revolutionise avian energetic models.