Pointe Vincente White-crowned Sparrow Palos Verdes Penninsula California 021
"Each fall, white-crowned sparrows hop off branches in Alaska and begin journeys toward California, Arizona, New Mexico and west Texas. On their trip of several weeks, flying mostly at night, the tiny songbirds may cut back on their sleep by two-thirds....
Rattenborg and his colleagues wanted to see if the white-crowned sparrows that were sleeping less during migration were punch-drunk while awake, so they set up a test in which birds learned and repeated a three-response sequence of key pecks. The caged birds performed best on the test during fall migration time, when they were getting the least sleep....
When urges to migrate kick in, white-crowned sparrows and other songbirds begin flying perhaps as much as 300 miles at night while staying active during the day. Their ability to navigate, avoid predators and find food in different locations while sleep-deprived is a mystery ..."
Author:
Ned Rozell
Pointe Vincente White-crowned Sparrow Palos Verdes Penninsula California 021
"Each fall, white-crowned sparrows hop off branches in Alaska and begin journeys toward California, Arizona, New Mexico and west Texas. On their trip of several weeks, flying mostly at night, the tiny songbirds may cut back on their sleep by two-thirds....
Rattenborg and his colleagues wanted to see if the white-crowned sparrows that were sleeping less during migration were punch-drunk while awake, so they set up a test in which birds learned and repeated a three-response sequence of key pecks. The caged birds performed best on the test during fall migration time, when they were getting the least sleep....
When urges to migrate kick in, white-crowned sparrows and other songbirds begin flying perhaps as much as 300 miles at night while staying active during the day. Their ability to navigate, avoid predators and find food in different locations while sleep-deprived is a mystery ..."
Author:
Ned Rozell