General
Zebra finches’ ingenious ‘vocal panting’ cools them down and signals hot weather to embryos
As this latest heatwave breaks records across Australia, we’re being forced to adjust to new levels of heat.
What if you could increase your tolerance to heat just by repeating the phrase ‘I feel hot’?
Key points:
- Zebra finches make a ‘vocal panting’ noise to help cool themselves down in hot weather
- The high-pitched song is also used by parent finches to signal hot weather to embryos still in eggs
- Embryos will then grow less to conserve energy
That is what zebra finches do, according to an ongoing study from ecology researchers at Deakin University.
The zebra finch is an Australian bird with a distinctive red bill commonly found in hot dry areas around Australia, including northern Victoria.
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