Centuries ago, islanders had no meteorologists to predict developing hurricanes. So they looked to the skies–and watched the birds. When Hurricane Harvey headed toward Texas in 2017, we looked to the skies–and saw that the hummingbirds left days in advance. And that’s when we got worried. Can hummingbirds predict hurricanes? While there’s no definitive yes or no answer, we were surprised when we started digging into this topic.
Our Own Hurricane Experience
Our cats have a catio that looks out on several bird feeders–both seed and suet feeders and, from spring through early fall, hummingbird feeders.
The hummingbirds usually depart central Texas in about mid-September, on their way to Mexico and points south for the winter–but two weeks ago we noticed an absence of hummingbirds.
Whereas usually we have two or three hummingbirds at a time battling it out for the feeders, suddenly in late August there were none.
In past years, we’ve had so many hummingbirds that we’ve even been able to spot their nests–with young–down near the creek:
We thought at first perhaps it was something specific to our feeders. Maybe a neighbor was feeding the hummingbirds and they’d chosen another feeder over ours.
But then John heard someone call into a local garden show he listens to, mentioning the same thing: the hummingbirds had disappeared.
The fact that the hummingbirds had left made the approach of Hurricane Harvey seem that much scarier.
I remembered something that we’d learned when writing one of our Caribbean guidebooks: before technology provided hurricane predictions, islanders once looked to the birds to know if a storm was coming. When the birds left, a big storm was approaching.
Hurricane Harvey did come to Texas and the damage was, well, Texas-sized. We evacuated our central Texas home because of worries of flooding from our small creek.
The day we returned home from the hotel after evacuating, we sat on the porch. Although it was still windy, the rain had stopped. The storm was over.
And, as quickly as they had left, the hummingbirds returned. While we sat on the porch and our cats watched from the catio, two hummers battled for domination of the feeder. Life was back to normal.
How can birds tell a storm is coming?
While there is no definite evidence to support the claim that birds can sense when a hurricane is coming, there are some ways in which birds may be able to tell that a storm is approaching.
For example, birds have been known to change their behavior in the days leading up to a hurricane.
They may stop singing, become more aggressive, or even fly into windows.
Additionally, barometric pressure drops before a hurricane makes landfall, and birds have been known to react to changes in barometric pressure. The Old Farmer’s Almanac says, “swallows have sensitive ears; when the barometric pressure drops, they fly as close to the ground as possible, where air density is greatest.”
We can just imagine that hummingbirds, with their keen senses, can also feel and react to the change in barometric pressure.
What Does Science Say About Birds and Long-Term Hurricane Forecasting?
So we’ve all noticed birds changing their behavior when a storm is approaching–but what about long term forecasting?
A few years ago, ornithologist Christopher Heckscher at Delaware State University predicted a busy hurricane season:
2018 data from Delaware Veeries so far predicts an above average #hurricaneseason with 3 – 5 major Atlantic hurricanes and ACE ~70 – 150 https://t.co/7FQGdF92h7
— Christopher M. Heckscher (@madthrush) July 6, 2018
And how did it turn out? The hurricane season–in spite of meteorological forecasts for a below-average year–was just what the birds had predicted.
If you’re a backyard bird watcher, keep an eye on your feathered friends in the days leading up to a storm – you just might be able to get a heads up about the weather!
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