My Science School

Yes, birds see things in slow motion. This is because they can process info so quickly that time seems to pass slowly to them. The smaller they are and the faster their metabolic rate, the slower time passes. They can see at twice the speed of humans. This, it is said, is needed to avoid larger, slower predators.

The scientists who ran the new study gathered data from previous experiments on the rate at which visual information is processed in 34 vertebrates, including lizards, birds, fish and mammals. The scientists hypothesized that the ability to detect incoming sights at a high rate would be advantageous for animals that must perform the equivalent of bullet dodging—responding to visual stimuli very quickly to catch elusive prey or escape predators, for instance. These animals tend to be lighter and have faster metabolisms. The data bore out the hypothesis: species that perceived time at the finest resolutions tended to be smaller and have faster metabolisms.

These findings show that differences in how a mouse and an elephant sense time are not arbitrary but rather are finely tuned by interactions with their surroundings. A link between time perception, body structure and physiology suggests that different nervous systems have developed to balance pressures from the natural environment with energy conservation. Rapid perception might be essential for a hawk but would waste a whale's precious energy. As for Fido, a year really does seem longer to him than it does to you, but probably not by a factor of seven. Dogs can take in visual information at least 25 percent faster than humans—just enough to make a television show look like a series of flickering images.

Credit : Scientific American

Picture Credit : Google

Did you know birds, unlike mammals, do not urinate? Instead they convert nitrogenous waste into uric acid which they excrete in the form of a white paste through their cloaca.

Most birds need to drink water daily. The amount they drink varies on the species and size of the bird. Small birds drink at least twice each day to replace water lost through respiration and droppings. Generally speaking, hummingbirds drink nectar, as it's sugar-rich and provides the energy required for their high metabolism.

Technically speaking, birds do not pee. Instead, birds excrete urine in a solid uric acid form along with their poop. If you've seen a bird poop, then you've also seen it pee.

As we know, humans and other mammals get rid of liquid and solid waste separately but do birds do the same?

Birds excrete urine and faeces together through the vent after passing through the cloaca (vent). Cloaca (pronounced klo-A-ca) is from the Latin verb cluo, 'to cleanse', thus the noun cloaca, 'sewer, drain'. So unlike mammals, birds do not have separate exits for their wee and poop.

Credit : Bird Fact 

Picture Credit : Google