Swallows have evolved to better dodge cars, according to an article in
Current Biology
. They are gradually getting shorter wings, which help them fly up from the road and swerve around cars.
During a 30-year study on social behavior and coloniality of cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) in southwestern Nebraska, we found that the frequency of road-killed swallows declined sharply over the 30 years following the birds’ occupancy of roadside nesting sites and that birds killed on roads had longer wings than the population at large.
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