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Hummingbird Vision Is Adapted To High-Speed Flight

Hummingbirds are nature’s versatile fliers.

Hummingbirds are nature’s versatile fliers. They swoosh faster than 50 kilometers per hour and quickly stop when navigating through dense vegetation. Recently, scientists discovered that the hummingbird vision is adapted to high-speed flight.

Research has revealed that these small birds take in visual information completely differently from other species, probably because they have to balance out their acrobatics.

Birds are quicker than insects in flight, so the danger of a collision increases. Roslyn Dakin, a Ph.D. fellow and study leader, wanted to know what helps hummingbirds to avoid collisions. Research also had to point out how big is the difference between them and insects, when establishing a clear path.

Researchers put hummingbirds in a special tunnel, where they projected nature patterns on the walls. This helped them realize how the birds steer clear to avoid collisions in flight. Scientists installed cameras to track the movements of hummingbirds. They flew in a 5.5-meter long tunnel.

The experiment worked by taking advantage of the hummingbirds’ appetite for sugar. So a feeder containing sugar was placed on one side of the tunnel and water was put on the other side. This made the tiny birds fly back and forth all day long. Scientists were this way able to test many different visual stimuli.

To date, we don’t know too many things about birds’ orientation in high-speed flight. We only know that bees process distance similarly to humans. For example, a bird processes distance by how quickly the object passes through their field of vision, just like we do, when driving on a road. We see poles closer to the street and buildings in the distance. Timing tells us how far away they are from us.

Hummingbirds did not react to bee-mode simulations. But they did react to fly-like simulation. Objects getting bigger or smaller in the distance tell birds if they move further away or closer to the object.

In the end, scientists found that hummingbirds have the same technique as flies. This is known as “image velocity” and it helps both species to know their altitude and distance. Humming birds are even able to fly backward. This is done with about the same amount of energy and oxygen as flying forward.

Image Source – Wikipedia

How Can a Tiny Songbird Fly 1700 Miles Over The Atlantic

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A very small songbird that spends its summers in the forests of North America has been tracked by scientists over an 1,700-mile journey over the Atlantic Ocean, to the Caribbean, while migrating in the winter to South America, according to a new study.

Researchers were almost certain the blackpoll warbler is making its journey to the Caribbean over the ocean, but until now they had no proof. The scientists attached tracking devices to the birds in the summer of 2013 when scientists.

“It is such a spectacular feat that this half-an-ounce bird can make what is obviously a highly risky journey over the open ocean,” said author Chris Rimmer of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies.

The number of these birds has been declining. “Now maybe that will help us focus attention on what could be driving these declines,” he added.

According to results published Wednesday in the United Kingdom in the journal Biology Letters, the warblers, known to be voracious insect eaters, departed near the northern parts of the United States and Eastern regions of Canada and headed directly to the Caribbean.

The results on the blackpoll warblers migration can help scientists understand more about the significance of changing climate, explained Andrew Farnsworth, a research associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology who is an expert in migration biology, but was not involved in the study.

“How much energy do they need and if they don’t get it, what happens?” he asked.

An important number of bird species fly great distances over water, but the warbler is not fitting the regular specifications, because it is the only one who lives exclusively in the forest. Most other species of birds that winter in South America fly via Mexico or other parts of Central America.

Scientists tagged 19 blackpolls on Vermont’s Mount Mansfield and other 18 in Nova Scotia. Three of those were caught again in Vermont still having the tracking device attached on their tiny bodies and two others in Nova Scotia.

Four of these warblers departed for the Caribbean between Sept. 25 and Oct. 21 and flew straight to the islands of Puerto Rico or Hispaniola. Their flights ranged from 49 to 73 hours. The fifth bird left Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and flew almost 1,000 miles before safely reaching the Turks and Caicos islands for a short stop before heading towards South America.

An interesting fact is that their return flights north, the birds followed a course along the coast.

Image Source: The Silver Ink

U2’s Bono Experiences Mid-Air Drama on Flight to Berlin

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Earlier today 54-year-old Bono, U2 frontman, accompanied by four friends experienced a near catastrophic failure while on a flight to Berlin. As part of the trip, the band was going to perform at the Bambi International Music Awards ceremony but to also meet with Gerd Mueller, the economic minister of Germany.

It was reported that during the two-hour flight, the six-seat Learjet 60 that Bono and others were flying in lost its rear door while at 8,000 feet above the countryside of Brandenburg Germany. The flight, which originated in Dublin Ireland, was flying at cruising altitude when unexpectedly, the rear door fell off.

According to the Irish Daily Mail, approximately one hour into the flight, everyone onboard hear a loud noise from the back portion of the plane, which was the rear door, also referred to as the tailgate, becoming detached from the body of the plane.

While everyone was startled by the noise, the captain continued flying to Berlin. Only after the plane landed was everyone horrified to find the rear compartment door completely detached. In truth, this could have been a major disaster, leading to the plane crashing. This information was later confirmed by German authorities and at this time, the incident is being investigated by local law enforcement.

Although no formal statement has been released by Bono or a band spokesperson, as imagined, something this serious would have certainly unnerved everyone onboard the flight. However, Ralf Kunkel with the Berlin Schonefeld Airport did make an official comment by saying the incident is currently being investigated by the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents.

Fortunately, there were no reported injuries although Bono did lose his luggage as the result of the door detaching. It was also reported that the only member of U2 on the dangerous flight was Bono since the remaining members of his band were scheduled to late a flight later in the day to meet up at the Bambi International Music Awards.

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