Category: Birds
Witnessing a flock of wild turkeys materialize from the dense forest understory is one of life’s more stirring events – and even more so if the observer is privileged to witness the dramatic visual and auditory display of a male striving to impress his hens and intimidate potential interlopers. They are a widespread species in North America, adaptable to a broad range of habitats as long there is coverage and abundant open spaces available.
Asleep at the wheel?
Can you imagine spending nearly all of your life in the air? The common swift doesn’t have to - it just does! From the day this bird learns to fly, it almost never touches the ground voluntarily - it eats, drinks, mates, and may even sleep while flying. While sleep walking can be problematic in humans, many birds have the ability to enter a state called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, where one half of the brain sleeps as the other remains alert. This method of “sleeping with one eye open,” is a great way to avoid becoming another animal’s meal, and has led to the suspicion that these birds, who almost never willingly land, also sleep while in flight!
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Discover Animals is a web-based educational resource offered by the NAIA
