The Lipid Reserves of White-Crowned Sparrows on the Breeding Ground in Central Alaska

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Abstract
Lipid index (LI = g lipid/100 g total body wt) was c. 3 to 4 during the vernal post-migratory period and the reproductive period in Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii near Fairbanks. In mid-August LI increased rapidly to means of c 8 and maxima of c 16 in both adults and immatures. Southward migration began during this period. Due to reciprocal decrease in fat-free body weight, total body wt was stable during this period in adults and showed only a minor increase in immatures. Variation in fat-free body wt was correlated with the late-summer molt, which was complete in adults but partial in immatures.