Heart rate and rate of oxygen consumption during flight of the barnacle goose, Branta leucopsis

We report the first measurements of heart rate (f(H)) and the rate of oxygen consumption ((V) over dot(O2)) during flights from a species of bird larger than 500 g. (V) over dot(O2) was obtained from nine forward flapping flights of 8.9 min mean duration at a mean speed of 13.2 m s(-1) performed by three barnacle geese of mean mass 1.68 kg. Mean (V) over dot(O2) was 331 ml min(-1) or 201 ml min(-1) kg(-1). Sixteen nights were obtained from two of these birds equipped with heart rate data loggers, both when they were wearing a (V) over dot(O2) mask and when they were not. During flights with the mask (mean duration 7.4 min), mean f(H) was 472 beats per min and during flights without the mask (mean duration 8.0 min) it was 391 beats per min. Heart rate was also measured in another goose flying without a respiratory mask and mean f(H) for all the three birds (mean mass 1.7 kg) flying without a mask for an average of 7.9 min at 13 m s(-1) was 378 beats per min. Resting f(H) for these three birds was 79 beats per min. The values of f(H) during flight are greater than those obtained from the same species during their autumn migration from Spitsbergen to southern Scotland. The possible reasons for this are discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.