[mou] interesting article

[Holly Peirson]

Well, Jim:

 

It took some time, but I looked up your question, because I didn't know the
answer. I don't know if anyone else knows the answer, perhaps others have
responded to you back-channel.

 

I found that the article is about European swift species, and that there is
documentation of one European species that has been documented to sleep on
the wing, seen by pilots in aircraft. For the rest of the species, including
all North American species, roosting is the typical way of sleeping and
spending the night. They roost communally, in small groups, even while the
one pair of birds per roost site is nesting. Later, after nesting is over,
they congregate and use larger roosting sites with many hundreds of birds
each night, especially on migration. They are a diurnal migrant.

 

The article suggests that swifts change their wing shape and angle according
to the type of flight they are engaged in, and that was corroborated in
these accounts as well. 

 

Does that answer your question?

 

I used John K Terres' Encyclopedia of North American Birds, and Birds of
North America online for resources.

 

Thanks for asking a question that required study to answer, I like those
kinds!

 

Holly Peirson

Columbus, Anoka Co.

 

  _____  

From: mou-net-bounces at moumn.org [mailto:mou-net-bounces at moumn.org] On Behalf
Of Jim Ryan
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 1:51 PM
To: Gail Wieberdink
Cc: MOU-net List Serv; MNBird List Serv
Subject: Re: [mou] interesting article

 

Great article Gail,

Thanks for sharing it. There is a mention of the fact that swifts sleep
while they are flying...Does anyone know do that all the time and if they
also roost? 

 

I distinctly remember one dusk on the Rum river by the old hospital
smokestack (across from the Anoka County Fairgrounds) seeing hundreds of
swifts funneling thier way INTO the stack as darkness overtook the day... I
assumed they were roosting for the evening and just enjoyed the
spectacle...This was several years ago in late August.  Any thoughts?? 
 

Jim on St. Paul's Westside


 

On 4/29/07, Gail Wieberdink <wieber64 at comcast.net> wrote: 

An interesting article about swifts and airplane design.

 

http://tinyurl.com/yvga4e

 

Gail

 

 




-- 
Sincerely,

Jim Ryan 
651-308-0234 cell

"A man who dares to waste an hour of time has not discovered the value of
life." - Charles Darwin 

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