Natures wonders: some birds sleep in flight (Introduction)

by David Turell @, Thursday, October 18, 2018, 18:18 (1978 days ago) @ David Turell

Especially true in sea birds:

http://maxplanck.nautil.us/article/326/first-evidence-of-sleep-in-flight?utm_source=Nau...

"It is known that some swifts, songbirds, sandpipers, and seabirds fly non-stop for several days, weeks, or months as they traverse the globe. Given the adverse effect sleep loss has on performance, it is commonly assumed that these birds must fulfill their daily need for sleep on the wing.

"How might a bird sleep in flight without colliding with obstacles or falling from the sky? One solution would be to only switch off half of the brain at a time, as Rattenborg showed in mallard ducks sleeping in a dangerous situation on land. When sleeping at the edge of a group, mallards keep one cerebral hemisphere awake and the corresponding eye open and directed away from the other birds, toward a potential threat. Based on these findings and the fact that dolphins can swim while sleeping unihemispherically, it is commonly assumed that birds also rely on this sort of autopilot to navigate and maintain aerodynamic control during flight. (my bold)

"How might a bird sleep in flight without colliding with obstacles or falling from the sky? One solution would be to only switch off half of the brain at a time, as Rattenborg showed in mallard ducks sleeping in a dangerous situation on land. Based on these findings and the fact that dolphins can swim while sleeping unihemispherically, it is commonly assumed that birds also rely on this sort of autopilot to navigate and maintain aerodynamic control during flight.

***

"To actually determine whether and how birds sleep in flight, the researchers needed to record the changes in brain activity and behavior that distinguish wakefulness from the two types of sleep found in birds: slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Niels Rattenborg teamed up with Alexei Vyssotski (University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH) who developed a small device to measure electroencephalographic changes in brain activity and head movements in flying birds.

" the team focused on great frigatebirds nesting on the Galápagos Island. Frigatebirds are large seabirds that spend weeks flying non-stop over the ocean in search of flying fish and squid driven to the surface by predatory fish and cetaceans. The researchers temporarily attached the small “flight data recorder” to the head of nesting female frigatebirds. The birds then carried the recorder during non-stop foraging flights lasting up to 10 days and 3,000 kilometers. During this time, the recorder registered the EEG activity of both brain hemispheres and movements of the head, while a GPS device on the birds’ back tracked their position and altitude. After the birds were back on land and had had some time to recover, they were re-caught and the equipment was removed.

"The flight data recorder revealed that frigatebirds sleep in both expected and unexpected ways during flight. During the day the birds stayed awake actively searching for foraging opportunities. As the sun set, the awake EEG pattern switched to a SWS pattern for periods lasting up to several minutes while the birds were soaring. Surprisingly, SWS could occur in one hemisphere at a time or both hemispheres together. The presence of such bihemispheric sleep indicates that unihemispheric sleep is not required to maintain aerodynamic control. Nonetheless, when compared to sleep on land, SWS was more often unihemispheric in flight. By carefully examining the movements of the frigatebirds, the researchers discovered clues to why they sleep unihemispherically in flight. When the birds circled on rising air currents the hemisphere connected to the eye facing the direction of the turn was typically awake while the other was asleep, suggesting that the birds were watching where they were going. “The frigatebirds may be keeping an eye out for other birds to prevent collisions much like ducks keep an eye out for predators,” says Rattenborg.

***

"Perhaps the greatest surprise was that despite being able to engage in all types of sleep on the wing, on average frigatebirds slept only 42 minutes per day. In contrast, when back on land they slept for over 12 hours per day. In addition, episodes of sleep were longer and deeper on land. Collectively, this suggests that frigatebirds are actually sleep deprived in flight. “Why they sleep so little in flight, even at night when they rarely forage, remains unclear,” says Rattenborg. As previous studies have shown that frigatebirds follow ocean eddies predictive of good foraging conditions throughout the day and night, perhaps this is what they are up to. Interestingly, the low amount of sleep in flight suggests that this task requires more attention than that afforded by sleeping with one half of the brain at a time. As such, frigatebirds face ecological demands for full attention 24/7 while at sea."

Comment: This ability in birds and dolphins cannot be developed by chance attempts. I can only conceive of the phenomenon as designed. If this happens in dolphins, I assume it is true for whales, manatees and other sea going mammals. It adds to the complexity of land to sea conversions. Why bother?


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