A new study of northern gannets has found that individual birds are left or right winged.
A new study of northern gannets has found that individual birds are left or right winged. The study, published in in Biology Letters, is the first to demonstrate ‘handedness’ in seabirds while hunting.
Gannets are well known for their spectacular plunge dives from around 30m high, folding back their wings and diving into water to capture prey up to 14m below the ocean’s surface. At the start of a plunge dive, gannets roll to one side – a manoeuvre that scientists think help gannets keep sight of prey.
Scientists analysed the techniques of 2,133 dives by 51 northern gannets. The data included both roll direction and roll angle. They found that individual birds consistently repeated their preferred roll direction across multiple days and weather conditions. The findings show that the birds had an approximate 50/50 split between right and left sided preference, alongside three “ambidextrous” birds.
The observations also revealed that individuals were consistent in their roll angle – with some birds rolling a little, and some right over as they turned into their dive.
Read more at British Antarctic Survey
Photo Credit: Robert1709 via Pixabay
