Hurricane preparedness is an important topic for humans, but have you ever wondered what birds do during tropical storms? Unfortunately, according to the Audubon Society of Florida, many birds get caught in storms. Once they are in the eye of the storm, birds are often carried along with the storm to its next location.
Videos by Outdoors
In an article published in Eos, this was seen recently in 2019, when Typhoon Leikma hit mainland China. Birds that were commonly found on the mainland were found in locations where they had never been documented before, presumably because the storm swept them there.
Though it may sound rather wild, documentation of this phenomenon dates back to the 19th century, according to Nebraska Today. Crews on ships would observe birds in the eye of the storms. Today, birds can be seen on storm radars.
Birds that are not carried away by hurricanes and tropical storms prepare the best they can, similar to humans. Resident bird populations in areas like Florida will seek shelter in tree holes or urban infrastructure. Migratory birds will leave in the middle of hurricane season, but sometimes they get caught in storms as they’re traveling.
