Carrying a logger reduces escape flight speed in a passerine bird, but relative logger mass may be a misleading measure of this flight performance detriment

1. The recent boost in bird migration studies following the development of various tracking devices raised awareness of how detrimental attaching devices can be for animals. Such effects can occur during migration, but also immediately post-release if the device impairs escape flight performance and, consequently, the bird’s ability to evade predators.
2. In this study, we investigated the effect of carrying a device on the escape flight speed and aerodynamic force production in a migratory passerine. We recorded upward-directed escape flights of 15 male blackcaps. Each individual was tested without a tag, and when equipped with three different leg-loop dummy tags with masses representing around 3%, 5% and 7% of their body mass. The experiment was designed such that all individuals passed through all treatments in a randomized order.
3. We found that two factors affected flight speed in roughly equal amounts: first, tagged escape flights had lower flight speeds compared to the contro...