Eclipse echoes: groundbreaking study reveals surprising avian vocal patterns during solar eclipse

(Press-News.org) A new study published today in Scientific Reports reveals how birds responded to the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse across North America. The study finds bird vocalizations significantly declined only where more than 99% solar obscuration occurred. Researchers from Loggerhead Instruments, Inc. and the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology analyzed data from 344 community-based acoustic monitoring devices, called Haikuboxes, using a novel neural network approach. Unlike previous studies, this research controlled for human presence, recognizing that birds might react to the observers themselves, rather than the eclipse. This is the first major study to leverage the Haikubox network for scientific research. 

“Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that birds fall silent or exhibit nighttime behaviors during a total solar eclipse,” said David Mann, PhD., lead author of the study and researcher at Loggerhead Instruments. “Our study shows that on average, birds do get quiet during and just after totality, but we also learned that this behavior is strongly linked to the degree of darkness experienced."

The research also revealed varied responses among different bird species, even for the same species at different locations. For example, Black-capped Chickadees at two sites reacted differently to the eclipse: at one site in New York State they were quiet until well after totality, while they increased their vocalizations during and immediately after peak totality at another site in Vermont. Other species and site variations were found: for example, one or more American Robins sang throughout totality at one site in Kentucky, while Pine Siskin vocalizations stopped completely during totality at another site in Maine.

“The variability in bird responses and site differences was fascinating,” said Mann. “We really don’t know why birds had such different responses to the total darkness during the eclipse. Despite examining factors like temperature, cloud cover, and wind speed, we found no significant relationship with changes in vocalization rates. This strongly suggests that the sudden total darkness and associated changes in wind and temperature were the primary drivers of the observed behavioral shifts.” 

It is important to note that data from Haikuboxes with detectable human presence during the eclipse period were excluded to eliminate potential reactions to human presence. “Our first, quick look at Haikubox data just a few hours after the eclipse showed a large dip in bird vocalizations around the time of peak totality,” said Mann. “When we dove deeper into the data and removed any sites where humans may have influenced the birds’ behaviors, we found a much more complicated story. People were pretty excited about the total solar eclipse, and their celebrations likely affected the birds’ reactions.”

This study shows the research potential of a large, community science-powered, bioacoustic monitoring network. “In a time when technology often pulls us away from the natural world, Haikubox does the opposite – it fosters a deeper connection to it. By combining AI technology with a love for the environment, Haikubox helps people engage with nature in a modern and educational way,” notes Mann. The Haikubox network relies on community scientists (also sometimes referred to as citizen scientists) to host acoustic monitoring devices. It provides a unique platform for studying wildlife behavior across broad geographic areas without the biases associated with human observation.

“Our findings can inform future research on the impacts of light pollution and sudden changes in light levels on bird behavior, " notes Mann. “Furthermore, it proves that when we combine the power of community science with clever technology, we can learn amazing things about wildlife without disturbing them, which may inform future continental-scale studies."  As one node in a growing passive acoustic monitoring network, Haikubox owners contribute valuable bird behavior data that can fuel future scientific research. 

The study, published April 8, 2025, is titled “Continental-scale behavioral response of birds to a total solar eclipse.” In addition to Mann, it is co-authored by Austin Anderson, Amy Donner and Michael Hall of Haukubox; and Stefan Kahl and Holger Klinck of the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Haikubox was developed with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

The research team expects this is the first of many research projects to use Haikubox acoustic data. “Passive acoustic monitoring is a terrific tool for gathering data about animal behavior, and regular folks play an important role in widening our listening network,” said Mann. “Putting a Haikubox in your yard helps us add to the already 1 billion acoustic recordings we’ve gathered. Our community is enabling tomorrow’s scientific discoveries.”


 

About Haikubox

Haikubox is an  AI-Enabled Wi-Fi-connected device that helps birdwatchers “bird by ear” by automatically identifying birds through their unique sounds, while also contributing valuable data to a community science network for ecological research. By fostering a deeper connection with nature through technology, Haikubox empowers users to effortlessly observe and record the beauty and seasonality of birds in their environment.  

 

About Loggerhead Instruments, Inc:

Loggerhead Instruments, Inc. designs and manufactures environmental monitoring instruments and provides advanced technology solutions for ecological research.

 

About the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a world leader in the study and conservation of birds; its K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics uses sounds in nature to inform and advance the conservation of wildlife habitats.

 

About David Mann, Ph.D/Founder of Haikubox

David Mann, Haikubox founder, was a young birder who spent hours in his neighborhood and at nearby Sapsucker Woods at Cornell University searching for birds. He later studied biology at Cornell and earned a PhD from MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution focused on bioacoustics. When David and long-time colleague Holger Klinck, PhD, Director of the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, realized they shared a common interest and the technical skills to develop an automatic birdsong identification tool, Haikubox was hatched. 

END