AUTHOR=Czenze Zenon J. , Myers Mark , Collins Darin , Brigham R. Mark 

TITLE=Captive Tawny Frogmouths Exhibit Similar Body Temperature Patterns as Wild Individuals

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.770788

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2021.770788

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p>Free-ranging tawny frogmouths (<italic>Podargus strigoides</italic>) typically defend body temperature (<italic>T</italic><sub><italic>b</italic></sub>) between 38 and 40°C during activity and allow it to fall to 29°C during cold evenings. However, this pattern of nightly <italic>T</italic><sub><italic>b</italic></sub> decline has not been elicited in captivity during short-term respirometry measurements. We used implanted <italic>T</italic><sub><italic>b</italic></sub> loggers to record the <italic>T</italic><sub><italic>b</italic></sub> of two captive tawny frogmouths from 24 September to 24 December 2019 to determine if the conditions in captivity would elicit similar <italic>T</italic><sub><italic>b</italic></sub> patterns to those measured in the wild. We recorded an average <italic>T</italic><sub><italic>b</italic></sub> of 34.8 ± 1.1 and 35.6 ± 1.0°C for the two birds and minimum <italic>T</italic><sub><italic>b</italic></sub> of 31.0 and 32.0°C. Minimum daily <italic>T</italic><sub><italic>b</italic></sub> was correlated between the two individuals, and the minimum <italic>T</italic><sub><italic>b</italic></sub> of both individuals was correlated with minimum daily <italic>T<sub><italic>a</italic></sub>.</italic> Our results highlight the need to keep birds under appropriate captive conditions to perform physiological research that produces results which mirror responses by individuals in the wild.</p>