JACKSON, Wyo. — How will the upcoming April 8 partial solar eclipse affect wildlife?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shared on its social media channel that wildlife is impacted by the loss of light during the day, and research from past eclipses provides answers.
“Critters don’t have actual clocks, so they take their behavioral cues from nature,” Fish and Wildlife wrote on Facebook. “A darkening sky and lowering of temperatures brought on by an eclipse can cause wildlife to shift their behavior to nighttime routines.”
In spite of very little data on how an eclipse affects wildlife, the Cornell Lab reported that the April 21, 2017 eclipse revealed interesting and unusual observations in various bird species. At the time of maximum eclipse, nighthawks appeared, barred owls called back and forth in the celestial blackout and confused black vultures came in to roost and then quickly flew off once the sunlight returned minutes later.
According to Fish and Wildlife, one of the most famous wildlife eclipse studies was done by entomologist William M. Wheeler in 1932. Wheeler led a team that collected almost 500 observations from the public regarding wildlife behavior during an eclipse that happened that year. People reported observations that included crickets chirping, owls hooting and bees returning to their hives.
Whether watching the wildlife or the sky, remember to wear protective eye covering during the eclipse.
