Scientists flabbergasted by speedy birds

WASHINGTON -- Little songbirds cover more than 300 miles (480 kilometers) a day on their annual migrations, flabbergasting researchers who expected a much slower flight.

For the first time, scientists were able to outfit tiny birds with geolocators and track their travel between North America and the tropics, something only done previously with large birds such as geese.

New tracking equipment, weighing only a little more than a paper clip, is now allowing the tracking of purple martins and wood thrushes, researchers report in Friday's edition of the journal Science.

"The migration was surprisingly fast," said Bridget Stutchbury, a professor of biology at York University in Toronto, Canada.

That's much faster than the 90 miles (145 kilometers) or so per day that had previously been estimated.

"We were flabbergasted by the birds' spring return times. To have a bird leave Brazil on April 12 and be home by the end of the month was just astounding. We always assumed they left sometime in March," said Stutchbury.

"I don't think anybody had an idea that these little songbirds could travel that fast," she said in a teleconference arranged by the National Geographic Society.

And they made better time going north in the spring than heading south in the fall.

Stutchbury said she believes the spring migration is faster because there are major advantages to arriving first on breeding grounds, including getting the best nesting spots, the chance to get high quality mates and to start breeding first.

"This is a breakthrough for understanding of bird migration and for conservation of smaller birds. I am surprised by the speed of flight, which is comparable to larger birds like the Pacific Golden Plover," said Helen F. James, a curator of birds at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

"It's simply wonderful that we're going to be able to see these movements," said James, who was not part of the research team.

Indeed, the aim of the research is to understand how migration, and changes such as in climate and habitat, are affecting songbirds.