Humans have mapped since earliest known times in their existence. We are all well aware of this. But, did you know that birds and other animals also “map”?
My friend is an avid gardener and she knows all sorts of interesting facts about the birds and insects in her garden. Lately, she told me about how hummingbirds use “maps”. Yes really!
Hummingbirds, according to my friend, “map” their food sources to memory. They do this from year to year, season to season. They re-visit their food sources according to their “maps” because of their incredible consumption rate of food. In flight, they apparently burn up food so fast that they must eat constantly to stay alive. They regulate their consumption at rest to give their hearts a chance to catch up.
We have always been fascinated by these small creatures. To learn that they “map” and leverage the location intelligence that they gather in understanding food source locations to promote the most efficient and effective consumption is something of a marvel!
How are you using your mental maps or other maps to generate actionable location intelligence?
While you are contemplating that, please think about supporting research to help protect these and other amazing creatures of flight. Make a donation to the Audubon Society here to help them continue their amazing work furthering the knowledge about hummingbirds and other bird friends.
