Birds and tropical storms

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Posted by Bill Pranty on 15:06:47 09/14/05

In Reply to: Bumper crops: Re: More on "mockers" posted by Ben Kolstad

Hi Ben et al.,

It's a popular myth that birds get blown around in storms. They would be blown to bits -- look what hurricanes do to huge trees or houses, and then consider how a bird could survive. Quite simply, it can't.

Now it is true that migrating birds -- those ALREADY IN THE AIR at altitudes of several hundred to several thousand feet -- or pelagic species in the path of a storm -- will often divert their flight path around it, or sometimes will get blown by the weaker outer winds.

But birds don't fly up in hurricane force winds to get miraculously transported hundreds of miles unharmed.

So there's no connection between hurricanes in 2004 and any potential "bumper crop" of Northern Mockingirds in 2005.

Furthermore, those who look for West Indian landbirds after hurricanes usually are disappointed, because sedentary species are especially unlikely to get moved around (since they would have had to have been in flight when the storm hit, and by definition, sedentary species don't move). There will never be a Florida Scrub-Jay (or Arrow-headed Warbler, or Puerto Rican Spindalis) getting blown somewhere else by a tropical storm because these birds "hunker down" when storms hit, and any birdb that got "dislodged" from its roost during a storm would be quickly shredded.

Best regards,

Bill Pranty
Avon Park, Florida

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Comments:	: Hi Ben et al., : : It's a popular myth that birds get blown around in storms. They would be blown to bits -- look what hurricanes do to huge trees or houses, and then consider how a bird could survive. Quite simply, it can't. : : Now it is true that migrating birds -- those ALREADY IN THE AIR at altitudes of several hundred to several thousand feet -- or pelagic species in the path of a storm -- will often divert their flight path around it, or sometimes will get blown by the weaker outer winds. : : But birds don't fly up in hurricane force winds to get miraculously transported hundreds of miles unharmed. : : So there's no connection between hurricanes in 2004 and any potential "bumper crop" of Northern Mockingirds in 2005. : : Furthermore, those who look for West Indian landbirds after hurricanes usually are disappointed, because sedentary species are especially unlikely to get moved around (since they would have had to have been in flight when the storm hit, and by definition, sedentary species don't move). There will never be a Florida Scrub-Jay (or Arrow-headed Warbler, or Puerto Rican Spindalis) getting blown somewhere else by a tropical storm because these birds "hunker down" when storms hit, and any birdb that got "dislodged" from its roost during a storm would be quickly shredded. : : : Best regards, : : Bill Pranty : Avon Park, Florida
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