Discover the fascinating ways birds survivethrough sight, sound, taste, touch and smell.
FINCHES, SPARROWS AND CARDINALS are happily filling up at your backyard feeders. All of a sudden, they quickly fly away, diving into the bushes. Less than a minute later, a hawk swoops through the yard. How did the songbirds know the hawk was coming? Did they smell, or maybe hear, it? To figure this out, it helps to know more about the senses that birds use to experience the world around them.
Bird’s-Eye View
The term “eagle-eyed” for sharp vision is no accident. Nearly all birds see at least two or three times as much detail as humans, making them able to spot food— or approaching predators—that much farther away. Most birds have excellent color vision, too. Night birds like owls may have a biological trade-off: They see very well in dim light, but their perception of colors may not be as good.
Another advantage birds have is seeing ultraviolet light. To humans, male and female northern mockingbirds look exactly the same—but birds are able to tell the difference because the two have different ultraviolet markings.
Because their eyes are on the sides of their heads, most birds take in two separate pictures of their world, one on each side, with only a limited area of twoeyed vision toward the front. That means while they see lots of detail, it is harder for them to judge distance on the sides until they move their heads.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October/November 2018-Ausgabe von Birds & Bloom.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October/November 2018-Ausgabe von Birds & Bloom.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Sense or Nonsense? - Why some birds can taste and smell - but others can't
Does a porcelain berry taste like a blueberry to a gray catbird? Does a block of lard smell like frying bacon to a northern flicker? The short answer is no. While some avian species do have a well-adapted sense of taste or smell, they can't distinguish between flavors and odors the way humans can. They're not picking up every ingredient in the suet you put out, says José Ramírez-Garofalo, an ornithology researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the director of Freshkills Biological Station in Staten Island, New York.
Maple Mania - Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Food-Focused and Fierce - Meet Canada jays and learn why they eat almost anything they can find
Even if you haven't heard of Canada jays, you've heard of their relatives. Members of the corvid family, they belong to the same group as American crows, blackbilled magpies, and jays including blue, Steller's and scrub. "Unlike many of the other jays, a Canada jay doesn't have a crest of any kind; it just has a rounded head," says Dale Gentry, director of conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River.In 2018, the Canada jay's name was changed from gray jay, but Dale thinks the former adjective was fitting. "Most of its body is shades of gray with some white," he says. "There are different subspecies that have different physical traits, but most of them have some lighter coloring on their foreheads, upper breasts and throats, each with a darker streak that starts at each eye and goes back."
IN GOOD COMPANY
BIRDS OF A FEATHER MAY FLOCK TOGETHER, but what about other collectives of critters-and what do you call them when they do?
YOUR OWN Perfect Prairie
Learn how to cultivate an oasis of grassland flora in your backyard
ON THE MOVE
Birds approach the challenges of migration in surprising ways. Learn about how they walk, swim or take the scenic route during their travels.
Autumn Wonders
Fall colors offer befitting backdrops for these stunning reader photos
Sparrow Look-Alikes
Distinct sounds help separate these similar species
Embracing the Darkness
From black plants to moody decor, Gothic garden elements can offer a unique outlet to express your dark side
Red-Hot Plants
Scarlet-hued berries add a pop of color to any garden