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A remarkable aspect of bird migration is its nocturnality, particularly common in Passeriformes. The switch in activity from purely diurnal to also nocturnal is evident even in caged birds that during migratory periods develop an intense nocturnal restlessness, termed  Zugunruhe . The mechanisms that control this major change in activity are mostly unknown. Previous work with  Sylvia  warblers suggested an involvement of melatonin, a hormone associated with day-night cycles in most vertebrates. In a recent study we found no effects of melatonin administration on  Zugunruhe  during spring migration. However, previous studies indicated that the response to melatonin manipulation could differ between spring and autumn migration, which are in fact separate life history stages. Here we tested whether a non-invasive treatment with melatonin can alter  Zugunruhe  in wild garden warblers  S. borin  and blackcaps  S. atricapilla  subject to temporary captivity at an autumnal stopover site. Food availability in the cage (yes/no) was added as a second factor because previous work showed that it enhanced  Zugunruhe .    Results  The melatonin treatment significantly decreased the amount of  Zugunruhe , while the availability of food only tended to increase the amount of  Zugunruhe . Fuel deposits also had a strong effect on the amount of nocturnal activity: lean birds with a fat score of 1 showed significantly less  Zugunruhe  than fatter birds. The change in body mass during the time spent in the recording cage depended on food availability, but not on any of the other factors.    Conclusions  This study shows that the migratory programme of two  Sylvia  warblers can be manipulated by administration of exogenous melatonin and confirms that this hormone is involved in the control of migratory behaviour. To our knowledge, this is one of the first demonstrations that the autumn migratory programme can be altered by hormonal manipulation in migrating birds. The comparison with a similar study carried out with the same modalities during spring migration suggests that there are seasonal differences in the sensitivity of the migratory programme to hormonal factors. In birds breeding in the northern hemisphere, the importance of a timely arrival to the breeding sites could explain why the control of the migratory programme is more rigid in spring.

Melatonin reduces migratory restlessness in Sylvia warblers during autumnal migration