Stopovers Serve Physiological Recovery in Migratory Songbirds
Migrating birds perform extreme endurance exercise when fly-ing. This shifts the balance between the production of reactive oxygen species and the antioxidant defense system toward the former, potentially generating oxidative damages. In between migratory flights, birds make stopovers, where besides accumulat-ing fuel (mainly fats), they are assumed to rest and recover from the strenuous flight. W