Winter torpor in a large bird

Gerhard Körtner, R. Mark Brigham and Fritz Geiser ()
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Gerhard Körtner: School of Biological Sciences, University of New England
R. Mark Brigham: School of Biological Sciences, University of New England
Fritz Geiser: School of Biological Sciences, University of New England

Nature, 2000, vol. 407, issue 6802, 318-318

Abstract: Abstract Torpor is a natural state in which animals show a substantial and controlled reduction of body temperature to conserve energy1,2. A few small birds (weighing less than 80 g) are known to use it as a survival strategy in winter, but we have discovered that a large bird, the Australian tawny frogmouth, which weighs 500 g, can also enter this state. This surprising finding increases the size of birds known to use natural torpor by almost tenfold, suggesting that avian torpor is more widespread than is commonly believed, enabling birds to stay in their territory throughout the year.

Date: 2000
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DOI: 10.1038/35030297

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