MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 10, 2021
A migrating bird burns energy more quickly than a marathoner. Flight is tremendously difficult and a flying bird raises its metabolism at least eight-fold compared to its resting rate. Some birds like bar-tailed godwits, semipalmated sandpipers and blackpoll warblers migrate over long expanses of ocean, flying non-stop for three days or more. These birds have to carry all the food and water they require. There no race volunteers handing out cups of water or food morsels. If these migrating birds hit the water, they die. Their energy stores are depleted. How do birds flying non-stop for days deal with sleep deprivation? Birds can shut down one side of the brain for a few seconds at time. The brain switches sides back-and-forth, essentially providing hundreds of mini-naps as the birds migrate. ~ Herb Wilson