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The marsh-loving song sparrow uses its beak to stay cool.<\/p>The marsh-loving song sparrow uses its beak to stay cool.<\/p>
What’s the News:<\/strong> Scientists have long known that the size and shape of a bird’s beak is largely dependent on its diet. A hummingbird<\/a>’s long, thin beak, for example, allows it to reach deep down into a tubular flower to get nectar. But in a new study in the journal Ecography<\/em><\/a>, scientists have found that birds in warm climates have evolved beaks larger than their cooler-climate counterparts as a means of staying cool (birds, like most animals, don’t sweat). The new study adds weight to past research suggesting the same thing.<\/p> What’s the Context: <\/strong><\/p> Allen’s Rule<\/a>, a scientific theory coined by zoologist Joel Asaph Allen in 1887, states that warm-blooded animals will have longer appendages in hotter climates than those living in colder climates. The greater surface area allows the animals to give off more heat and keep cool. The marsh-loving song sparrow uses its beak to stay cool.What’s the News: Scientists have long known that the size and shape of a bird’s beak is largely dependent on its diet. A hummingbird’s long, thin beak, for example, allows it … Continue reading
A study last year showed that the rule may apply to birds’ beaks<\/a>, too. ...<\/p><\/a>
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