This fascinating column in the Virginia Gazette by WBC member Dan Cristol talks about how difficult it is to figure out how birds sleep, and gives interesting information about some things scientists have learned.
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Some birds sleep in the air. Swifts, for example, hunt down bugs high in the sky 24 hours a day from the time they leave their nest until they return six months later.
Some landbirds make transoceanic migrations lasting weeks, in which touching down would mean instant death. Seabirds often spend months in the air searching for food. They are capable of swimming but avoid it because of the risks from below. When do these birds sleep?
Read the full column on the Virginia Gazette’s website