How do they do that?

Two interesting recent discoveries on the nano-tech of bird biology.

The concentration of iron compounds in nerve endings  enables some birds to use megnetic “measurements” to help them navigate.

And then, how do shorebirds get those mouthfuls of food and water up the long thin beak without having to tilt their head back between each gulp? Ever watch a phalarope feeding on the water’s surface?  They use the physics of surface tension.

Tags: ornithology, phalarope, research, science