{"id":109035,"date":"2024-08-06T13:47:26","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T13:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/06\/why-a-small-seabird-dares-to-fly-toward-cyclones\/"},"modified":"2024-08-06T13:47:26","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T13:47:26","slug":"why-a-small-seabird-dares-to-fly-toward-cyclones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/06\/why-a-small-seabird-dares-to-fly-toward-cyclones\/","title":{"rendered":"Why a small seabird dares to fly toward cyclones"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tropical cyclones are synonymous with destruction. But at least one seabird may take advantage of them as feeding opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Desertas petrel, a small and threatened seabird native to the North Atlantic Ocean, has long been associated with oncoming storms. A new study suggests that this skilled flier purposely interacts with cyclones, flying long distances toward them and following their wake<\/a>, researchers report in the July 22 Current Biology<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a risky gambit by the petrel (Pterodroma deserta<\/em>), which must contend with wind speeds approaching 90 kilometers per hour and swells up to eight meters high. The likely payoff: an abundance of food. The team found markedly higher levels of chlorophyll in the stirred-up, cooler water of the storms\u2019 wakes, suggesting elevated levels of phytoplankton. This could trigger a feeding event that draws the petrels\u2019 prey\u2014fish and cephalopods\u2014to the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n