Latest news with #NorthernHawk
Time of India
08-08-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Why owls sleep during the day and hunt at night: The science of nocturnal birds
Ever noticed an owl dozing in daylight? It's not being lazy, it's evolution in action. Discover why owls are active at night and how their biology makes them perfect nighttime predators. Owls are mysterious creatures, silent, wide-eyed, and seemingly out of place during the day. While most birds chirp and fly in the daylight, owls are often found resting, their eyes half-closed, tucked into the shadows. But why do owls sleep during the day and hunt at night? The answer lies in how these birds evolved. From their incredible eyesight to their stealthy flight, owls are made for moonlight. Their daily routine isn't laziness, it's a perfectly tuned survival strategy crafted by nature over millions of years. Owls are nocturnal by design Owls belong to a category of animals called nocturnal creatures , animals that are most active during the night and rest during the day. This isn't a random sleep cycle. It's nature's way of giving owls an edge in the wild. By sleeping during the day, they avoid competition and conserve energy for night-time hunting, when fewer predators are around. Owl eyes are built for the dark One of the biggest reasons owls sleep during the day is their extraordinary night vision. Owl eyes are: Large and forward-facing for better depth perception Packed with rod cells, which are highly sensitive to low light Almost tube-shaped, allowing them to gather more light than a typical bird This makes them perfect for spotting prey like mice, insects, or small birds in nearly complete darkness. But it also means that bright daylight can feel too intense, making sleep a biological necessity. Owls avoid daytime predators and rivals Owls aren't the only birds of prey but they're among the few that dominate the night sky. By hunting at night, they: Avoid competition with hawks, eagles, and other daytime raptors Reduce the risk of being spotted by predators Catch prey that is more vulnerable at night Sleeping during the day is simply part of their strategic energy cycle, conserve during the light, dominate in the dark. Owl body clocks run opposite to ours Just like humans follow a circadian rhythm (active in daylight, sleepy at night), owls have a nocturnal biological clock. Their bodies: Release melatonin during the day, making them drowsy Increase alertness and hunting instincts at night Follow a sleep-wake cycle that aligns with moonlight hours Even if they're kept in artificial light, most owls naturally revert to being night-active, proving how deeply wired this behaviour is. Not all owls are strictly nocturnal While most owls, like the Barn Owl and Great Horned Owl, are true night hunters, some species are active at other times: Burrowing Owls and Northern Hawk Owls can be seen hunting during the day In regions with long daylight (like the Arctic), some owls adjust to dusk or dawn activity (crepuscular behaviour) Still, the vast majority of owls prefer the quiet and coolness of night. Owl flight is designed for silent hunting Hunting at night wouldn't be as effective if owls were noisy. But nature has gifted them with: Soft-edged feathers that reduce sound A flight pattern so silent, prey doesn't hear them coming Hearing so sharp, they can detect a mouse under snow A ll these features work best in low-light environments. Sleeping during the day keeps them rested and ready for nighttime precision. Owls sleeping during the day isn't odd, it's a result of millions of years of evolution. Their night-adapted eyes, stealthy bodies, and strategic instincts make them perfectly suited for the darkness. So the next time you spot an owl napping on a sunny branch, don't mistake it for laziness, it's just recharging for another shift as nature's most efficient night hunter. Also read| Brightest lizards on Earth: 10 stunning species you need to see
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Internal memo outlines stark impacts of federal downsizing on Alaska regional fishery agency
NOAA Fisheries Alaska region, hit hard by staffing losses, helps oversee the harvests off Alaska, which produce about half the fish caught in U.S. waters. Here, a trawl net full of pollock — the largest volume fishery off Alaska — comes aboard the Northern Hawk during the summer 2023 harvest. (Photo by Hal Bernton) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has long struggled to compete with corporate America to recruit tech workers to maintain the complicated computer systems that track the federal seafood harvests off Alaska. These chronic staffing shortages at NOAA Fisheries' Alaska Region have been greatly exacerbated by the Trump administration's efforts to cut the federal workforce. As of mid-March, the Alaska Region had 29% of its staffing positions vacant, and the Information Services Division, staffed largely by tech workers, had a vacancy rate of 45%, according to an internal agency memorandum obtained by the Alaska Beacon. The memorandum offers a window into the impacts of the Trump administration downsizing campaign on the agency's Alaska Region, which plays a vital role in overseeing federal harvests in a nearly 1.5 million square mile swath of the North Pacific that produce about half of the fish caught in U.S. waters. The memorandum states that the region is 'evaluating core functions necessary to maintain minimal functionality to keep the fisheries operating…we are aligning existing staffing resources to maintain and 'keep the lights on.' ' That task will likely become more challenging in the weeks ahead. NOAA Fisheries is part of the Commerce Department, which has been instructed by a Trump executive order to shrink its federal workforce in a quest to 'eliminate waste, bloat and insularity.' Some NOAA Fisheries workers who had not completed a probationary period of employment already are off the job. They were let go earlier this year, then placed on paid administrative leave after a judge, in response to a lawsuit, found fault with that move. Meanwhile, the Commerce Department is encouraging employees with long years of federal service to take early retirement. Others can leave and collect 'lump sum' exit payments of up to $25,000, according to a copy of the NOAA offer obtained by the Beacon. Employees have until April 17 to decide whether they want to leave NOAA Fisheries voluntarily. If they do not, they will still face the risk of getting laid off at a later date by a reduction in force, according to the offer. As the deadline for voluntary departures approaches, staff members say that morale has eroded. Some who had considered staying are opting to leave as they confront expanded workloads with less support. Three current federal workers who spoke with the Alaska Beacon declined to comment publicly due to concerns about retaliation, but said that there was fear among frontline workers and one worker said that extended to leadership. The responsibilities of the NOAA Fisheries Alaska region include enforcement of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, marine conservation, and collecting and managing catch data. The regional offices also work closely with the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, which is charged with carrying out much of the fishery survey work and also has been slammed by staff losses. The Trump administration cuts to NOAA Fisheries alarm Bill Tweit, vice chair of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, a federal advisory group that develops harvest policies for the 200-mile U.S. fishery zone off Alaska. As climate change intensifies, the council faces an increasingly challenging task of helping to manage the fisheries. And if Alaska staff cuts substantially weaken NOAA Fisheries' scientific capabilities, then he expects the council may consider tighter harvest limits. ''That's because the less information we have – the more conservative we have to be,' said Tweit, a Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife official who has served on the council for almost two decades. Sources within the Alaska regional office say some of the greatest concern is focused on the Alaska Region's Information Services Division. The division staff support an aging computer system, and 'Development work to improve our IT (Information Technology) systems is particularly at risk,' said the Alaska Region internal memorandum, which stated that the division's vacancy rate will soon reach 55%. The computer division tracks the progress of a multitude of harvests, along with the bycatch of accidentally caught species. Accurate tallying of the rapidly changing harvest totals is essential to preventing overfishing in derby-style fisheries, such as the Gulf of Alaska pollock harvest, which have boat crews who race to grab as much fish as possible before a fleet-wide quota is reached. In a public document filed March 28 with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the Alaska Region listed eight of the staff who were 'lost,' including two supervisors and a software developer from the Information Services Division. During a Thursday meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, NOAA Alaska Regional Administrator Jon Kurland did not disclose any details about the vacancy rates but acknowledged 'some very challenging circumstances.' 'This will be a new paradigm, less staff and less capacity,' Kurland said in testimony to the council. 'I can say we will have limitations and delays in delivering things that council and stakeholders are expecting…. Our staff have been under quite a lot of stress, and they have really been touched by numerous, very kind acknowledgements of their public service.' In later remarks to the council, Kurland said 'we are expecting to see some further big changes, and those changes will have impacts on the services that we can provide. But…. I really can't go into any more detail than that at this point. Also on Thursday, Bob Foy, director of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, testified to the council. He noted staff losses, travel restrictions and an effort to keep 'any of the core balls from being dropped.' 'That's really the space we are in right now. A heck of a lot of uncertainty,' Foy said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
