Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier

Everybody enjoys watching birds during the daytime, but what do they do at night, when they seem to disappear? Birds need sleep as much as we do, and they have evolved unique sleep habits to match their intensely energetic lifestyle. Instead of long stretches of obliviousness, they sleep in short bouts of several seconds or a few minutes, waking up to look around for danger, and then going back to sleep. To increase their vigilance, birds can sleep while shutting off only half their brain and one eye at a time, leaving them able to respond instantly to any alarm. The social habits of sleeping birds are also distinctive. Most are solitary, some sleep in pairs or families, while others gain advantages of warmth, safety, and even social needs like finding a mate, by joining in flocks, not to mention guidance on where to get breakfast the next day.     

Join Roger Pasquier on September 16 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM for a member webinar about birds and sleep.

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Presenter Bio:

Roger Pasquier is an associate in the Department of Ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History.  His career has been in ornithology and in conservation, at BirdLife International, World Wildlife Fund-US, Environmental Defense Fund, and National Audubon Society. He is the author of several books on birds. Roger is a native New Yorker. His favorite birding places are Central Park and the Peruvian rainforest, and he enjoys his occasional visits to Mount Auburn.