Chubby birds get there faster: Heavy migratory birds take shorter breaks and reach their breeding grounds faster

When small migratory birds have crossed extensive ecological barriers, such as deserts or oceans, they must land to replenish their fat reserves. Researchers measured the duration of the stopovers made by garden warblers on an island off the Italian coast. There they observed that fat birds usually move on the night of their arrival, while lean birds interrupt their journey for an average of almost two days.

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