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Remember the 50s musical Singin in the Rain where Gene Kelly sings the title song while being pelted by raindrops? It is one thing to sing and dance in the rain with an umbrella and quite another to live in it as do birds. How do they do it? A storm comes in on a low pressure center; this makes it more difficult for birds to fly simply because the air is less dense. Rain, or even water vapor (humidity) takes up more space, resulting in even fewer air molecules. This is why birds perch before and during a storm it takes a lot more energy to fly in rainy conditions and so they avoid doing it. They perch in a tree, in shrubs or wherever they can get some protection. One scientist observed songbirds on the ground and huddled under shelter during Hurricane Katrina. But they also sit on power poles and lines where they face the wind and reduce their resistance to it.
Birds are waterproof. Their feathers, made of protein similar to our fingernails, have interlocking barbs to make them both flexible and water resistant. Feathers overlap one another like roofing tiles to make the bird both aerodynamic and water repellent. Birds also have an oil gland at the base of their tail which they use to put a waterproof coating on their feathers. You may have seen a bird reach over its back as if it was scratching an itch on its tail; it is actually squeezing oil from the gland which it then spreads over the feathers. The outer feathers of birds protect the insulating feathers underneath, just if they were wearing a down jacket with a waterproof shell. Some birds, like egrets, have what is called powder down, fine granules like talcum powder that are produced by the decomposition of special down feathers and repel water. And birds have a third eyelid, a translucent membrane, which allows them to face the rain with protected eyes. Birds also have a special mechanism in their legs, a tendon that causes the toes to curl when they perch, giving them a tight hold on a tree branch in the blustery wind. So birds do fairly well during a rainstorm, at least for a short time. But if the storm is particularly windy, rainy, or cold, or lasts for more than a few days, birds begin to show the effects. No one really knows how many birds die during a storm or series of storms. But mortality is certainly higher than usual. They fly into trees or windows, they get lost and wind up over the ocean or a large lake, their food sources are made more difficult to access at the same time they need more food to get warm, and they are more vulnerable to predators. So they hunker down and fly only when necessary.
An old proverb says When the goose honk high, fair weather; when the goose honks low, foul weather.
Accurate information about wild birds from a professional ornithologist. He has published 30 research papers and eleven books, among them: Amazing Birds, Birds of New England, Bird Finder, Pacific Coast Bird Finder, Latin for Bird Lovers, Beaks, Bones, and Bird Songs, and The Art of the Bird : Ornithological History Through Forty Artists. He has also consulted and has spoken on ornithology across the world.
According to an old proverb, “fair weather occurs when the goose honks high; foul weather occurs when the goose honks low.” .
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Birds are waterproof. Their feathers have interlocking barbs that make them flexible and water resistant. They are made of protein, just like human fingernails. The bird’s feathers overlap like roof tiles, giving it both aerodynamic and water-repellent properties. Additionally, birds apply a waterproof coating to their feathers using an oil gland located at the base of their tails. When a bird reaches over its back to scratch what appears to be a tail itch, it’s actually squeezing oil from a gland and spreading it across its feathers. Birds’ insulating feathers beneath their outer feathers are shielded, much like a down jacket with a waterproof shell. Certain birds, such as egrets, have feathers that are known as “powder down,” which are tiny, talcum-like particles that are created when certain down feathers break down and repel water. Additionally, birds have a translucent membrane for a third eyelid that protects their eyes when it rains. Additionally, birds’ legs have a unique mechanism called a tendon that curls their toes when they perch, allowing them to grip a tree branch tightly in a gusty wind. Thus, for the brief period of time during a downpour, birds do fairly well. However, birds start to exhibit the effects if the storm is exceptionally windy, wet, or cold, or if it lasts for more than a few days. The exact number of birds that perish in a storm or series of storms is unknown. But mortality is certainly higher than usual. They are more susceptible to predators, their food sources become harder to reach at the same time they need more food to stay warm, they fly into windows or trees, get lost and end up over the ocean or a large lake, and So they hunker down and fly only when necessary.
It’s one thing to sing and dance in the rain with an umbrella, but it’s quite another to live in it like birds do. Recall the scene from the 1950s musical “Singin’ in the Rain” where Gene Kelly sings the title song while being showered with raindrops. When a storm approaches a low pressure area, the air becomes less dense, which makes it harder for birds to fly. This is how they manage to do it. Rain and humidity, or even water vapor, occupy more space and produce even fewer molecules of air. Because it requires more energy to fly in rainy conditions, birds prefer to perch before and during storms. They perch in shrubs, trees, or other places where they can find cover. During Hurricane Katrina, a scientist noticed songbirds huddled under cover and on the ground. However, they also take a seat facing the wind on power poles and lines to lessen their resistance to it.
Accurate information about wild birds from a professional ornithologist. His works include Amazing Birds, Birds of New England, Bird Finder, Pacific Coast Bird Finder, Latin for Bird Lovers, Beaks, Bones, and Bird Songs, and The Art of the Bird: Ornithological History Through Forty Artists. He has also published thirty research papers and eleven books. In addition, he has given ornithology consultations and speeches all over the world.
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Therefore, during a storm, many birds perch to save energy rather than flying. They sit it out under the cover of a tree. Alternatively, they can perch on a fence wire facing the wind to lessen air resistance and prevent as much of their valuable body heat from being lost. However, after the storm blows through, birds start to soar again.
This is BirdNote. Birds are more likely to be perched and hunkered down during a downpour than to be flying around. Most birds are mostly waterproof. Their feathers and the oil produced by their preen glands keep them relatively waterproof. Therefore, why do birds stay away from the sky during rainstorms? It’s not just that they get wet. It might be more related to the air than the water.
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Storms change the air, which is the medium through which flight occurs. Rainstorms tend to occur when atmospheric pressure is low. Air in a low-pressure system is less dense. However, the aerodynamic lift required for birds to take flight is provided by dense air. A lot of water molecules are also released into the atmosphere by falling rain and high humidity. The air is less dense because of the space that the water occupies in it.
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