Date: July 26, 2018
Source: PLOS
Summary:
The diamond dove may
preferentially select large, stiff materials for takeoff and landing sites,
according to a study published on July 25th in the open-access
journal PLOS ONE. The unexpected findings, reported by Kristen Crandell of
the University of Montana and colleagues, suggest that the diamond dove does
not adjust its takeoff or landing behavior depending on the flexibility of the
perch.
Birds can take off from and land
on flexible, elastic materials such as twigs and branches, despite the
locomotor challenge they pose. However, it has not been clear whether or how
flying organisms modify their movements to compensate for or benefit from such
flexible perches. Crandell and colleagues hypothesized that birds have adapted
a strategy to adjust to structural variation in their habitats by modulating
their wing, body and tail movements to effectively use flexible perches. To
test this idea, they measured the takeoff and landing performance of five
diamond doves (Geopelia cuneata) in
the laboratory and the perch selection of 25 diamond doves in the field.
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