A recent Discover Wildlife article highlights research conducted by Ryan A.C. Leys, a PhD candidate in biology at the University of Waterloo, which examined how birds around Lake Erie responded to the sudden darkness of the April 2024 total solar eclipse. Using observations submitted by community members through a citizen science project, researchers found that birds changed their behaviour as daylight rapidly faded and returned. Some species became quieter, while others appeared to behave as though dusk had arrived, exhibiting movements and activities typically associated with evening conditions. The findings provide new insight into how birds use natural light cues to guide their daily routines and how they respond to rare environmental events.
The research combined community observations with artificial intelligence tools to help analyze bird behaviour during the eclipse, demonstrating the value of citizen science in advancing our understanding of wildlife responses to changing environmental conditions.
Read the article: When a solar eclipse cast darkness over Lake Erie, this happened to the birds that live there
Research findings are published in the journal Northeastern Naturalist.
Source: Discover Wildlife (BBC Science Focus Magazine)