How fast can raptors see?
(2020) In The Journal of experimental biology 223.- Abstract
Birds, and especially raptors, are highly visual animals. Some of them have the highest spatial resolving power known in the animal kingdom, allowing prey detection at distance. While many raptors visually track fast-moving and manoeuvrable prey, requiring high temporal resolution, this aspect of their visual system has never been studied before. In this study, we estimated how fast raptors can see, by measuring the flicker fusion frequency of three species with different lifestyles. We found that flicker fusion frequency differed among species, being at least 129 Hz in the peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, 102 Hz in the saker falcon, Falco cherrug, and 81 Hz in the Harris's hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus We suggest a potential link... (More)
Birds, and especially raptors, are highly visual animals. Some of them have the highest spatial resolving power known in the animal kingdom, allowing prey detection at distance. While many raptors visually track fast-moving and manoeuvrable prey, requiring high temporal resolution, this aspect of their visual system has never been studied before. In this study, we estimated how fast raptors can see, by measuring the flicker fusion frequency of three species with different lifestyles. We found that flicker fusion frequency differed among species, being at least 129 Hz in the peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, 102 Hz in the saker falcon, Falco cherrug, and 81 Hz in the Harris's hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus We suggest a potential link between fast vision and hunting strategy, with high temporal resolution in the fast-flying falcons that chase fast-moving, manoeuvrable prey and a lower resolution in the Harris's hawk, which flies more slowly and targets slower prey.
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- author
- Potier, Simon LU ; Lieuvin, Margaux ; Pfaff, Michael and Kelber, Almut LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2020-01-02
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Falcon, Flicker fusion frequency, Hawk, Raptor, Temporal resolution, Vision
- in
- The Journal of experimental biology
- volume
- 223
- article number
- jeb209031
- publisher
- The Company of Biologists Ltd
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:31822552
- scopus:85077475209
- ISSN
- 1477-9145
- DOI
- 10.1242/jeb.209031
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 1e138921-9340-4729-a8a3-443d6d93e412
- date added to LUP
- 2020-01-21 16:56:58
- date last changed
- 2024-04-17 02:52:12
@article{1e138921-9340-4729-a8a3-443d6d93e412,
abstract = {{<p>Birds, and especially raptors, are highly visual animals. Some of them have the highest spatial resolving power known in the animal kingdom, allowing prey detection at distance. While many raptors visually track fast-moving and manoeuvrable prey, requiring high temporal resolution, this aspect of their visual system has never been studied before. In this study, we estimated how fast raptors can see, by measuring the flicker fusion frequency of three species with different lifestyles. We found that flicker fusion frequency differed among species, being at least 129 Hz in the peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, 102 Hz in the saker falcon, Falco cherrug, and 81 Hz in the Harris's hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus We suggest a potential link between fast vision and hunting strategy, with high temporal resolution in the fast-flying falcons that chase fast-moving, manoeuvrable prey and a lower resolution in the Harris's hawk, which flies more slowly and targets slower prey.</p>}},
author = {{Potier, Simon and Lieuvin, Margaux and Pfaff, Michael and Kelber, Almut}},
issn = {{1477-9145}},
keywords = {{Falcon; Flicker fusion frequency; Hawk; Raptor; Temporal resolution; Vision}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{01}},
publisher = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
series = {{The Journal of experimental biology}},
title = {{How fast can raptors see?}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.209031}},
doi = {{10.1242/jeb.209031}},
volume = {{223}},
year = {{2020}},
}