Outbreak restrictions make unique bird studies possible

How do birds avoid collisions when flying in dense foliage and other narrow environments with many obstacles? What does it mean for birds to fly in such a complex environment? These are Per Henningsson from Lund University, Sweden Questions to think before turning to the pet parrot at home

The pandemic restrictions that encourage everyone to work from home marked the starting point of this research

"The wingspan of a parrot is about 30 cm, so when it was observed that Poppen could even achieve the smallest opening of 7 cm, it was really impressive.

Studies have shown that this bird adjusts its speed precisely according to the width of the opening, which means it can assess what is needed to pass through the gap

However, the adaptation required to get it through the narrow gap comes at a price

This is not the first study of how birds fly through openings of different widths, but no previous study has challenged birds with such a narrow gap (7 cm)

"I am proud of myself because I was resourceful for a period of time when I was unable to enter the laboratory, so I conducted research in my own home

Henningson emphasized that this study has limitations because it only involves one person

"It will certainly not be easier or better to conduct research in the laboratory; in fact, I am sure that the only reason we succeeded in getting this bird to perform these demanding flights is that it is domesticated and It’s comfortable and operated by people familiar with it