The Eyes Have It: Adaptations of Bird Eyes
January 8, 2019 @ 7:00PM — 9:00PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
AWE January Evening Speaker with Dr. Jerry Jackson
If anyone ever calls you "Eagle Eyes," you can feel flattered. Raptors such as eagles and hawks have marvelous vision. Some hawks can see every mouse in a field while flying over on the hunt.
Most birds have better vision than humans and other mammal species. A buzzard's vision is six to eight times better than human's vision.
Vision is a bird's key sense, as revealed in the size of a bird's eyes: They are huge in proportion to a bird's body.
More about a "bird's eye view":
- Diurnal birds (birds that are active in the day) can perceive more variations in color than you can, and it helps them find food as well as mates.
- Birds can focus their vision faster than we can.
- Some birds see better under different conditions – for example, penguins see better under water than on land.
- Some water birds have filters in their eyes that cut out blue light, helping them see their prey.
Dr. Jerry Jackson will discuss how birds' eyes have adapted over time and the importance of each eye shape to the species of birds.
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