19/11/2017
A new study has presented
convincing evidence that night lights cause serious altered behaviour among
night-migrating birds.
Scientists from the University of
Oxford, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and New York City Audubon examined
migrating bird behaviour over seven years at a special location, the ‘Tribute
in Light’ in New York City. The tribute is held to commemorate the 11 September
2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
During the tribute, two strong
beams of light, each with 44 xenon bulbs of 7,000 watts, pierce the night sky,
replicating a light-image of the ‘twin towers’ of the World Trade Center, where
nearly 3,000 lives were lost.
"We found that migrating
birds gather in large numbers because they're attracted to the light,"
says Benjamin Van Doren of Oxford University, a lead author of the study.
"They slow down, start circling, and call more frequently. They end up
burning energy without making any progress and risk colliding with nearby
buildings or being caught by predators."
The New York City study has been
a rare opportunity to witness the impact of powerful ground-based lights on
nocturnally migrating birds, according to co-lead author Kyle Horton, now with
the Cornell Lab but working at the University of Oklahoma during the study.
"This analysis would not have been possible without the help of tribute
organisers."
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