How do birds manage to migrate 30 thousand km a year * The Sopranos of the Birds

 A collection of news from the poultry world

fast food
With a winter home in Africa and nesting grounds in Scandinavia, the ruff sandpipers (Philomachus pugnax) have an annual journey of 30,000 kilometers. How do you fuel up for such a journey? By burning fat in an unusual way. According to a study published in the journal Experimental Biology, the sandpiper has the fastest rate of lipid metabolism ever observed among birds. It is also faster than most mammals and 30 times faster than the human metabolism. This kind of efficient metabolism helps the birds to access their fat stores more efficiently, an essential condition for their long journey.
(Photo: Judy Higham)

Destroys houses
If a drama in the style of "The Sopranos" were to take place among the world of the winged, the cowbirds would be suitable substitutes for Tony and his friends. These original thugs have a knack for revenge, researchers have learned. Cowbirds have long had a bad reputation, as they lay their eggs in the tangled nests of other species and all shoulder the burden of raising and gathering food for their offspring. But the situation is even worse: if those host birds reluctantly rebel and evacuate the foreign chicks, the cowbirds return and destroy the nest - according to a study published in the journal PNAS. Hence, it is better for the host species to reluctantly submit to the gangsters' dictates, since according to the study, those who resist end up raising 60% fewer offspring!  
(Photo: PNAS)