Torpor in a passerine bird expands the scope of avian heterothermy

Current Biology 2026 Open access

Read full text
Authors: Alice Barratt, Justin A. Welbergen, Ben D. Moore, Anthony Hunt, Christopher Turbill
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2026.01.011
Cited by: 2
References: 50

Abstract

Torpor is a controlled physiological state of reduced metabolism and typically body temperature (T b ) used by some endothermic animals to reduce their resting energy expenditure 1 , 2 and increase survival during unfavorable environmental conditions. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 Passerine birds, the largest avian order, have long been considered limited to shallow reductions of T b (min. T b usually >30°C; undocumented

Fields of Study & Subjects

Avian ecology and behavior Physiological and biochemical adaptations Bird parasitology and diseases

Publication details

Journal / source
Current Biology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Volume
36
Issue
5
Pages
1275–1280.e2
Publication date
2 February 2026
Language
EN