Where do birds go during hurricanes?
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation reported that Florida is known for its abundance and diversity of birds — and also for its vulnerability to hurricanes. So, when there is a looming threat of a major storm, where do all the birds go?
SCCF shorebird technician Aaron White explained that birds of all kinds exhibit different strategies to prepare themselves for an incoming storm.
“Birds are sensitive to weather changes like barometric pressure fluctuation, and changes in wind patterns. These indicators, among others, tell them that a storm is approaching,” he said.
Before a storm arrives, some birds prepare by foraging intensively to increase their energy stores.
During a shorebird survey one day before the impacts of Hurricane Helene hit the Sanibel and Captiva area, SCCF’s shorebird team observed massive flocks of birds foraging in deeper areas of the Gulf of Mexico in anticipation of the severe weather.
“Brown pelicans, laughing gulls, royal terns, magnificent frigatebirds, and other species were all seen diving and foraging together in the open water far offshore,” White said.
Once the storm hits, birds exhibit various survival strategies. These include making long flights around the storm impact area, flying into the eye of the storm, or hunkering down and waiting for the storm to pass.
GOING AROUND THE STORM
The SCCF reported that going around the storm can allow birds to find safer land and waters, though it may not have been the best strategy for Helene.
“Hours before landfall, Helene sustained tropical storm force winds across 420 miles, impacting the entirety of Florida and many other states in the southeast U.S. Birds opting to go around the storm would have had quite the flight ahead of them,” he said.
Real time bird migration maps from BirdCast (https://birdcast.info/) showed just how empty the southeast was when Helene made landfall.
ENTERING THE EYE
The SCCF reported that other birds may ride out the storm by flying into the eye of the storm, where the weather is calmer, and moving with the storm as it dissipates.
Some of these birds may accidentally get trapped within the eye of the storm and be swept away to far off locations, which is one potential explanation for what happened last year in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, when American flamingos were seen as far north as Wisconsin.
RIDING OUT THE STORM
The SCCF reported that research has shown some birds opt for the strategy of riding out the storm by seeking densely vegetated habitat farther inland, which helps protect them from storm surge, as well as heavy winds and rain.
“Smaller songbirds may also seek shelter within cavities of buildings or trees,” White said.