Mystery of Migrating Birds

LONDON (Reuters) - They rarely see each other, spend winters in different countries and don't communicate for long periods but pairs of a species of Icelandic migratory birds know exactly when to return home to breed.

The couples of black-tailed godwits somehow manage to coordinate their journeys, from different countries up to 1,000 km apart, to arrive back at their Iceland breeding grounds within about three days of each other.

"When males and females from a pair arrive back on their breeding territory in the spring, they do so with remarkable synchrony," Jill Gill, of the University of East Anglia said in an interview.

"We're astonished by it."

I have a theory. It involves the discreet use of sat-phones.
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Posted by JeremyT at October 7, 2004 04:50 PM