Seasonal Water Turnover Rates and Body Water Volumes in Desert Chukars

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Abstract
Tritiated water was used to estimate water turnover rates and total body water volumes (TBW) in free-living chukars (A. chukar) in the Negev Desert of Israel during late autumn and winter. Water turnover rates varied widely, ranging from 66.8 to 420.1 ml.cntdot.kg-1.cntdot.day-1 (n = 25). They were lowest before winter rains, averaging 15.0% (SD = 1.0; n = 17) of TBW in the dry autumn and early winter, and 45.3% (SD = 10.9; n = 8) in late winter. This seasonal increase in water turnover rate may reflect a dietary shift from dry foods to succulent green vegetation, the growth of which was induced by winter rains. Water turnover was much more variable among wild chukars than in captive birds from the same population kept in a controlled environment. TBW averaged 68.5% (SD = 4.1; n = 58) of body mass in free-living birds and was significantly elevated during cold, wet weather.

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