Birds may exhibit strange behavior during cosmic event.
In the Santa Fe area today, about 80 percent of the sun will be blocked by the moon, peaking at approximately 11:45 a.m. We humans have heard all about it, but other creatures might be a bit confused. Studies and research on the behavior of birds, and other wildlife, during a full or partial solar eclipse is very limited.
Most available information is from anecdotal observations and reports. Solar eclipses that occur over a long stretch of a continuous, populated land mass like the one today are rare. In an effort to learn more about bird and other animal behavior during the Aug. 21 eclipse, the California Academy of Sciences has created the “Life Responds” project, which asks citizens from across North America to download the iNaturalist app and document what they see during the eclipse.
The following fun facts are general information and should not be considered definitive or scientifically valid.
There are numerous anecdotal accounts and observations that appear to show that many species of birds and other wildlife do react in different ways to the eclipse. These reactions can occur as the eclipse progresses and enters totality, as well as when the sun re-emerges.
Here are some of the reactions by birds and wildlife that have been reported to occur during previous total eclipses:
BIRDS
Confused crooners: Songbirds have been noted to decrease their singing as an eclipse progresses, often to a point of total silence during the maximum darkness of totality. Speculation is that the darkening sky triggers the birds’ nighttime behaviors.
Out of sync singers: Observations show that some birds may also be confused by the reemergence of the sun and a “dawn chorus” of bird song might be heard just as it would be during a morning sunrise.
Day or night: Numerous bird species have been reported to return to their nighttime roosting locations as the total eclipse progresses. Starlings have been noted to return in large flocks to their roosts and display agitated behavior until the light returns to normal.
Night or day: Nocturnal birds such as owls, whip-poor-wills and nighthawks have been reported to either become active, take flight or call during total eclipses.
Chicken bedtime: Domestic fowl and pigeons have been observed to quickly return to their roosts or coops as the eclipse darkens the sky.
Savvy shorebirds: Anecdotal observations seem to imply that in general, shorebirds seem to display very limited reactions to total solar eclipses.
Hawk heyday: Some hawks and other birds of prey may take advantage of the changing conditions and go after confused prey.
OTHER WILDLIFE
Crickets have been widely observed to start “chirping” as the sky darkens and then fall silent upon the re-emergence of the sun. Katydids have also been reported to demonstrate this same behavior.
Cicadas have been noted to end their shrill daytime calling and fall silent as the eclipse progresses.
Mosquitos have been noted to emerge en masse during the darkest portions of an eclipse.
Honey bees have been observed to return in swarms to their hives as the eclipse darkens.
Orb-weaving spiders, which generally re-weave their webs every night, have been observed to dismantle their old web during the darkness of an eclipse.
Bats have been noted to emerge from their roost as the sky darkens and then return with the re-emergence of the sun.
Skunks, which are largely nocturnal, have been reported to come out and start foraging as it grows darker during an eclipse.
Squirrels are reported to retreat to their nests during a total solar eclipse.
Thank you to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and to Naturalist John Shaust for some of the information included in today’s column.
Anne Schmauss is the co-owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Santa Fe and she loves to hear your bird stories. She is the author of For the Birds: A Month by Month Guide to Attracting Birds to Your Backyard.