Patterns and dynamics of rest-phase hypothermia in wild and captive blue tits during winter.
We evaluated biotic and abiotic predictors of rest-phase hypothermia in wintering blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and also assessed how food availability influences nightly thermoregulation. On any given night, captive blue tits (with unrestricted access to food) remained largely homeothermic, whereas free-ranging birds decreased their body temperature (T (b)) by about 5 degrees C. This was not an