Relationship between total body electrical conductivity and lean mass in wild captive dunlins calidris alpina

Abstract EN

The use of total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) to measure the body composition of live birds has progressed from the use of cross-species relationships to the use of calibrations based on individual species.

The present investigation showed that calibrations can differ significantly even within a species when there are differences in organ size.

This means that care should be taken when applying the technique to birds that show substantial changes in organ size in the field e.g.

long distance migrants.