An ornithologist uses stable isotope ratios to estimate that a bird spends 40% of its migration time in regrowth forest (high food), losing 1.2% body mass per day there, and 60% in open habitat (low food), losing 2.1% per day. If the migration lasts 25 days, what is the total percent mass loss?

Sun, 03 May 2026 17:36:17 +0000

**How Bird Migration Strategies Reveal the Hidden Cost of Travel—and What It Means for Conservation** When scientists track migration patterns, a surprising insight emerges: birds don’t just fly—they consume, recover, and adapt at a precise metabolic cost. Recent studies, grounded in stable isotope analysis, reveal that migratory birds spend nearly