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Journal of Experimental Biology 135,265-273 (1998)
Published by Company of Biologists 1998

Wind Tunnel Experiments to Assess the Effect of Back-Mounted Radio Transmitters on Bird Body Drag

HOLLIDAY H. OBRECHT III ¹, C. J. PENNYCUICK ², and MARK R. FULLER ¹

¹ United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Laurel, MD 20708, USA
² Department of Biology, University of Miami, PO Box 249118, Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA

To whom reprint requests should be addressed.

The aerodynamic drag of bird bodies was measured in a wind tunnel, with and without back-mounted dummy radio transmitters. Flight performance estimates indicate that the drag of a large transmitter can cause a substantial reduction of a migrant's range, that is, the distance it can cover in non-stop flight. The drag of the transmitter can be reduced by arranging the components in an elongated shape, so minimizing the frontal area. The addition of a rounded fairing to the front end, and a pointed fairing behind, was found to reduce the drag of the transmitter by about onethird, as compared with an unfaired rectangular box.

Key words: bird, telemetry, transmitter, drag

Accepted on October 7, 1987