These Brave Seabirds Survive Severe Storms By Flying Into Them
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Many ocean-dwelling birds make huge detours to avoid severe storms. But not the streaked shearwaters! A new study led by Professor Ken Yoda of Japan's Nagoya University asserts that the brave seabirds often fly right into the eye of the storm to survive.
The scientists analyzed 11 years of data collected from GPS trackers attached to the wings of 401 shearwaters nesting on Japan's Awashima Island. They found that 75 birds chose to fly during ten typhoons or tropical storms. Some even chased the storm's eye for up to eight hours!
"It was one of those moments where we couldn't believe what we were seeing," says study co-author Emily Shepard. "We had a few predictions for how they might behave, but this was not one of them."
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal PNAS on October 4, 2022, say shearwaters thrive in windy environments. The strong winds over water enable the birds to glide for long distances without flapping their wings too much, saving energy. While skilled in flight, shearwaters are clumsy on land. The birds have a hard time taking off, leaving them at risk of predators like crows and cats.
This may explain why some shearwaters prefer flying into the storm to survive. But to do that, the birds need to know where the land is so they can avoid it. The adult shearwaters seem to have developed a mental map to guide them in the right direction. But the younger birds may not have had the time to gather this knowledge. This could be why large numbers of young streaked shearwaters wash up on the coastline after storms.
This is the first time a bird species has been observed flying into a severe storm. However, Andrew Farnsworth believes it may be a common tactic used by sea birds to preserve energy during hurricanes. The bird specialist at Cornell University says, "It might seem counterintuitive. But from the perspective of bird behavior, it makes a lot of sense."
Resources: Theconversation.com, Smithsonianmag.com, sciencenews.org
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59 Comments
- noorkalmost 2 yearsWow! That's so interesting. We need more articles like these but about different animals.
- jojo2012almost 2 yearsscary
- jojo2012almost 2 yearsi would be waaaaay far underground😬
- milkfanforeveralmost 2 yearsAgreed, I hate the storms.
- dream_beyondalmost 2 yearsInsane! Very brave!
- milkfanforeveralmost 2 yearsWow, that's very interesting I never knew that! I can't believe the way they escape deadly storms like typhoons, they fly into them! Won't they just get blown away? I mean, how? Is it safe? Should I do it? I don't know, but that's a very fascinating fact! I also can't believe that adult Shearwaters can memorize a mental map to lead them to the correct direction that's just not possible! Another thing I've never know was that shearwaters live in windy environments! Must be cold, if it were me I'd just stay in my house watching TV rather than staying outside in the windy air. I wonder if Shearwaters are cold? Or if they have some kind of thing to help them keep warm? If that true what kind of "thing"? I've just got loads of question waiting to be answered. Anyways, I've learned some sick things that I can't wait to share. These birds are "Bird-tastic!" Awesome and cool!
- bunnyjoyful_sabalmost 2 yearsWow that is so cool I want to try doing that!
- burgeron9101almost 2 yearsrisky but they have my Respect
- tristealmost 2 yearsThat is so cool! I cannot even imagine how they survive that. Birds are so smart.
- albdc2012almost 2 yearscool
- dog88almost 2 yearsthey are so smart