Birds could sense severe storms before the outbreak

Golden-winged warblers apparently knew in advance that a storm that would spawn 84 confirmed tornadoes and kill at least 35 people last spring was coming, according to a new report. The birds left the scene well before devastating super cell storms blew in. The most curious finding is that the birds left long before the storm arrived. Researchers say, at the same time that eteorologists on The Weather Channel were telling us this storm was headed in our direction, the birds were apparently already packing their bags and evacuating the area. The birds fled from their breeding territories more than 24 hours before the arrival of the storm. The researchers suspect that the birds did it by listening to infrasound associated with the severe weather, at a level well below the range of human hearing. Meteorologists and physicists have known for decades that tornadic storms make very strong infrasound that can travel thousands of kilometers from the storm. While the birds might pick up on some other cue, he adds, the infrasound from severe storms travels at exactly the same frequency the birds are most sensitive to hearing.