Some birds live totally in daylight, following the midnight sun from season to season. Here's an example from Bernd Heinrich in Why We Run:
White-rumped sandpipers spend the summer and breed north of the Arctic Circle where it is daylight virtually around the clock. In the fall, they migrate east across the American continent to the northeastern shores. There, they fatten up before beginning their nonstop journey of 2,900 miles of at least three days and nights. They reach Suriname on the north coast of South America, where they fuel up again on food.
 |
| White-rumped sandpiper |
They then embark on the last leg of their trip, 2,200 miles overland across South America to the southern tip of the continent, Argentina. The total trip is more than 9,000 miles—nearly pole to pole. The birds live in continuous sunlight, leaving from the midnight sun in the Northern Hemisphere and arriving in continuous daylight in the Southern Hemisphere. So they experience most of their lives in daylight, experiencing nights only during their migration.
No comments:
Post a Comment