The Whip-poor-will’s Whiskers

Podcast: BirdNote Daily · BirdNote

Opublikowano: 2026-10-26

Near their frog-like mouths, Eastern Whip-poor-wills sport long, thin feathers that look a little like cat whiskers. Called rictal bristles, scientists are still investigating what these feathers do. They might help nocturnal birds sense air currents in dark environments, allowing them to orient themselves in three dimensions, dodge obstacles, and catch their prey. It’s also possible that whiskery bristles do different things for different birds! More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is...