A Quantitative Study of the Nocturnal Migration of BirdsLowery, George H., Jr.
Science
A Quantitative Study of the Nocturnal Migration of Birds
Lowery, George H., Jr.
Birds -- Migration
It cannot be too strongly emphasized that the over-all time curves
just discussed have been derived from a series of individual curves,
some of which differ radically from the composite pattern. In Figure
29, six dissimilar types are shown. This variation is not surprising
in view of the fact that many other causative factors aside from time
operate on the flow of birds from hour to hour. Figure 29A illustrates
how closely some individual patterns conform with the average. Figure
29B is an example of a random type of fluctuation with no pronounced
time character. It is an effect rarely observed, occurring only in the
cases where the number of birds observed is so small that pure chance
has a pronounced effect on the computed densities; its vacillations
are explicable on that account alone. Errors of sampling may similarly
account for some, though not all, of the curves of the bimodal type
shown in Figure 29C. Some variation in the curves might be ascribed to
the variations in kinds of species comprising the individual flights
at different times at different places, provided that it could be
demonstrated that different species of birds show dissimilar temporal
patterns. The other atypical patterns are not so easily dismissed and
will be the subject of inquiry in the discussions that follow. It is
significant that in spite of the variety of the curves depicted, which
represent every condition encountered, in not a single instance is the
density sustained at a high level throughout the night. Moreover,
these dissident patterns merge into a remarkably harmonious, almost
normal, average curve.
When, at some future date, suitable data are available, it would be
highly desirable to study the average monthly time patterns to
ascertain to what extent they may deviate from the over-all average.
At present this is not justifiable because there are not yet enough
sets of data in any two months representing the same selection of
stations.
_Correlations with Other Data_
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