Tag: Birds
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How a Total Solar Eclipse Reset Bird Clocks and Sparked a False Dawn Chorus
Overview: A Rare Natural Experiment The April 2024 total solar eclipse—often called the Great American Eclipse—briefly plunged much of central and eastern United States into near-night. The event offered scientists a rare, real‑world test of how birds respond when the light-dark cycle is suddenly interrupted. A team led by Liz Aguilar combined citizen science, machine…
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Total Solar Eclipse Triggers Dawn Behavior In Birds: A New Look at How Light Disruptions Shape Avian Rhythms
How a rare cosmic event reshaped bird behavior When the April 2024 Great American Eclipse plunged midday into near-night across much of the central and eastern United States, it did more than dim the landscape. It provided scientists with an unprecedented, large-scale natural experiment to observe how quickly and dramatically birds respond to abrupt changes…
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When the Sun Went Dark: How the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Sparked a False Dawn Chorus in Birds
Overview: A Celestial Event Influencing Birdsong The total solar eclipse of April 2024 swept across North America, dimming the sky and momentarily disrupting daytime life. While many observers tracked the path of totality with awe, researchers saw an opportunity to study how birds respond to sudden shifts in light. A collaborative effort led by Indiana…
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Birds Sing a False Dawn: How the 2024 Solar Eclipse Tricked Wildlife Commons
Overview: An Eclipse That Rewrote Birdsong The total solar eclipse of April 2024 swept across North America, but humans weren’t the only ones listening for the drama in the sky. A new study reveals that at least 29 bird species altered their vocalizations before, during, and after the eclipse, with many birds spraying out a…
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Global Birds Share a Mysterious Warning Cry: The First Learned-Vocal Across Species
Overview: A World-spanning warning cry In a landmark study released in Nature Ecology and Evolution on October 3, researchers report that more than 20 bird species across four continents produce nearly identical whining vocalizations when they spot a brood parasite in their territory. This finding represents the first known example of an animal vocalization that…
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Ancestors of Flightless Birds Once Flew Across Oceans, New Study Finds
A new twist on how flightless birds spread across continents For generations, scientists have wondered how flightless giants like ostriches, emus, and kiwis ended up on continents as distant as Africa, Australia, and South America. The traditional view tied this broad dispersal to the ancient supercontinent Gondwana, arguing that its breakup around 150 million years…
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Rediscovered: Jerdon’s Courser in Andhra Pradesh After Rs 50 Crores Spent
Rediscovery of India’s Rare Jerdon’s Courser in Andhra Pradesh In a development that has reignited interest in India’s bird conservation scene, the elusive Jerdon’s Courser—long believed absent from its native range—has reportedly been rediscovered in a restricted area of Andhra Pradesh. Described as a landmark finding, the search is said to have involved a substantial…