According to new studies, the total solar eclipse in North America, 2024. On April 8, 2007, it temporarily sets out the biological watches of some bird species.
Eclipse created a dramatic performance as the Moon moved between Earth and the Sun, and at noon it was immersed in several moments of complete darkness from Mazatlán, Mexico, to St. John in Newfoundland, Canada.
During and after the event, 29 species of birds invaded the song as if a new day began, said the authors of the study, published on Thursday in Science.
Many observations were from citizens’ scientists who helped to expand the scope of the study.
For scientists who observe animal behavior, Eclipse has provided a great natural experiment to see the birds responding to temporary light changes – something that is difficult to achieve in the laboratory. According to a study, the total solar eclipse usually occurs in the same place once every three or four centuries, which means that most wild birds have never experienced them.
Studying how wild animals respond to natural events, such as eclipse, provides insight into how they deal with rapid environmental changes and help preserve efforts, said Liz Aguilar, a PhD student at Bloomington, Evolution, Ecology and Behavioral Program at Bloomington.
“Light is one of the most powerful forces that shape the behavior of birds, and even four minutes ‘Night’ was enough to do many species as if it were morning again,” wrote Aguilar email. “It tells us how some birds are sensitive to light changes.
Bird’s observation at the eclipse
Like humans, other animals take hints of light in their daily lives, said Aguilar.
During the 2017 The solar eclipse was watched by the reactions of the zoo animals when some birds returned to western panties and the night species became more active. However, Aguilar and her team wanted to specifically document the answers to the species of wild birds.
Eclipse took place in North America’s spring, an extremely active time of birds singing to attract friends, defend their territories and migrate at night, she added. In spring, birds tend to vote mostly around dawn and dusk.
So what can happen with their daily and seasonal rhythms, so strictly determined by the light and darkness, if a short night suddenly occurred during the day? For example, the whole took four minutes and 15 seconds in Bloomington, Indiana.
After a brain storm, how to strengthen society’s interaction with eclipse and document animal behavior, the team has developed a free smartphone program, Aguilar said.
“Community researchers were extremely important for this project,” she said. “Eclipse moved thousands of miles through North America in just a few hours in North America, and our team could not be in all places at once.”
Almost 11,000 observations of more than 1,700 users called Solarbird, created by researchers at Bloomington and Ohio Wesleyan University in Indiana, captured bird behavior of 3,106 miles (5000 kilometers) before and after the event.
The team also installed a fabric box -sized recorder through the southern Indiana to capture about 100,000 bird vocalization before, during and after, or in the moments when the Moon completely blocked the sunlight.
Autonomous recorders capture birds through the south Indiana through the eclipse. – Liz Aguilar/Indiana University
Solarbird users had a simple mission: notice the bird, observe it at least during the eclipse and document whether he was singing, flying or eating, among the other seven behavior.
“Looking at the database that night, we saw that the community was also working on its magic,” said Dr. Paul Macklin, Associate Professor of Information, Computer and Engineering School of Informatics, Computer and Engineering at the University of Indiana.
Different birds, different behaviors
The recordings collected were analyzed by Birdnet, Ai system that could determine the species of birds according to their calls. Team experts also analyzed Birdsong.
The authors wrote from 52 species of birds during the active eclipse, 29 showed obvious changes in their vocalization.
When the sky darkened, 11 bird species sang more than usual. During the darkness, some birds were silent, while others became more active.
But the biggest change occurred when the sunlight returned when 19 species invaded what the researchers called “the wrong Dawn Chorus”.
For example, forbidden owls have been called four times more often than usual. And Robins, who has exclusive pre -raised songs, sang six times more than the typical average.
For these birds, the return of sunlight meant the beginning of a new day, effectively reseting their biological watches, said Aguilar.
“Different bird species congratulate Dawn in very different ways – some have loud, elaborate Dawn choirs, while others are much quieter,” said Aguilar. “We found that species with the most intense dawn choirs were also those who were most likely to respond to the eclipse.”
Although the measurement of long -term exposure was independent of the study, the team believes that the long -term effect would have been minimal. However, some birds reacted to sudden darkness, may have been released for food in search of friends or defending their territory, Aguilar said.
Not all bird species reacted the same way, added Aguilar, and the bird’s reactions were the strongest on the road where the moon completely covered the sun.
“It really makes sense that not all species have reacted the same way – birds differ in how sensitive they are light changes,” Aguilar said. “Each species has its own activity patterns, energy needs and sensory abilities, so they interpret environmental changes differently.”
For some birds to observe how others could even paste that darkness was not a real night, added Aguilar.
It is important that the authors confirmed Birdnet detection, Dr. Stefan Kahlas, Birdnet technology designer and leadership at K. Lisa Yang Protection Bioakustics Center at Cornell University. Although Kahlas did not participate in this study, he also participated in research on bird behavior in 2024. Eclipse.
“Birdnet/Ah makes mistakes, but those mistakes are systematic and restored, so I think we can notice differences in vocal activities during the eclipse,” he said.
American Robin is seen in New York. – Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Forbidden owls perch on dead tree birch, Washington, park. – Wolfgang Kaehler/Lighttrocket/Getty Images
The world of lights
Dr. Andrew Farnsworth, visiting the Cornel Laboratory of the Bird Population Studies Center, has separately studied bird behavior in 2017 and 2024. Eclipse. The new conclusions are closely in line with what he noticed and he welcomed the new supplement to the crowd throughout North America.
“They are really useful to understand how organisms perceive their environment, respond to their environment and give us some raw materials to understand how they develop and how they can change,” said Farnsworth.
Understanding which species of birds responds to light changes can be paramount, as the world brightens due to increasing artificial light.
A recent study found that light pollution can disrupt bird schedules, so they are vocal longer than usual – especially birds with larger eyes or affected nests. Light pollution can also migrate birds, which can lead to fatal collisions with buildings in large cities.
Fortunately, the movement is growing to curb light pollution and reduce its effect on various animal species.
“Knowing whose types are most affected could help focus the preservation efforts where they need them most,” Aguilar said.
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