The vast agricultural landscape of the U.S. Midwest known as the Corn Belt acts as a barrier for migrating landbirds, causing them to adjust their flight behaviors similar to when crossing natural barriers like the Gulf of Mexico, according to a study from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The vast agricultural landscape of the U.S. Midwest known as the Corn Belt acts as a barrier for migrating landbirds, causing them to adjust their flight behaviors similar to when crossing natural barriers like the Gulf of Mexico, according to a study from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
In research published May 27 in the journal Conservation Biology, the team analyzed five years of weather radar data from 47 stations across the eastern United States to examine how birds modify their migration patterns when crossing the Corn Belt, compared to more forested landscapes. They found that birds fly faster and are more selective about flying with favorable tailwinds when crossing the Corn Belt – a vast agricultural region where more than 76% of the original forests and grasslands have been converted primarily to cornfields since the 1850s.
“Birds are showing clear behavioral changes when crossing this agricultural landscape compared to more forested landscapes,” said lead author Fengyi Guo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “They increase their powered flight speed and carefully adjust their flight time and height to take advantage of tailwinds, much like they do when crossing natural barriers like the Gulf of Mexico.”
Read more at: Cornell University
Photo Credit: Manny Salas/Lab of Ornithology
