The influence of temperature, humidity and wind on the daily visits to water by the Australian zebra finch

Abstract

The Australian zebra finch is an arid‐adapted passerine with high hygric demands, that is projected to be at risk from increasing temperature and aridity throughout its distribution by the end of the century. We examine here how individual zebra finches modify their visits to water in response to the climatic conditions of ambient temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed and day length over a two‐month period during an Austral summer drought in arid central Australia. Visits to water by individual zebra finches increased with increasing ambient temperature and day length, and decreased with increasing relative humidity, wind speed and rainfall. These findings are the most comprehensive data for the pattern of visits to water by individual wild birds globally and highlight the importance of regular drinking by individual finches to maintain water balance and thermoregulation. Our data highlight the importance of water availability for birds in the arid zone in a warming climate.

Keywords

• aridity
• climate change
• drinking behaviour
• heatwave
• water consumption
• zebra finch