IU bird researchers create app for community science project during April solar eclipse

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The upcoming total solar eclipse isn’t just a phenomenon in the sky, it’s one on the ground too.

In April, researchers will have a rare chance to study how plants and animals react to the sudden darkness and quick return of light.

Researchers studying local birds at Indiana University see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for more than one reason.

”It’s coinciding with the peak of bird migration,” said Liz Aguilar, a grad student at IU. “This early time in April is really exciting for us in a normal year and now that we have this really once-in-a-lifetime event happening at the same time we get to really capitalize on both of these events.”

Data on animal behavior during an eclipse is already rare, in and of itself.

”On average a total solar eclipse happens only every 375 years in the same exact location,” said Kim Rosvall, the Associate Professor of Biology at Indiana University.

They’re looking forward to seeing how the birds react to the sudden onset of darkness.

”What people tend to notice is it gets quieter,” Aguilar said. “Birds will probably stop singing.”

She said the sudden darkness could make birds think it’s nighttime, the fact that it’s happening in the middle of the afternoon could create some confusion, too.

”Another thing we might hear is some birds might act surprised,” Rosvall said. “Do more alarm sounds, more chipping sounds.”

Rosvall is most looking forward to seeing how the birds react after the eclipse is over.

”Not just the four minutes of totality, but after totality,” she said. “Will they act like it’s dawn again or 3:30 in the afternoon?”

They want to get people across the path of totality involved in a big community science project, too, through a new app called Solar Bird.

”We want people to still really be engaged with the moment and the experience the day, but we hope this is a way for them to really connect with nature and the event,” Aguilar said.

The app was developed with help from the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU.

Aguilar is trying to get as many folks as possible to download the app and record a few observations of the birds around them during the eclipse. The mission is twofold – gathering a wider swath of information on how the eclipse impacts birds and helping everyday people learn a little more about just how the eclipse impacts wildlife.

”We’re hoping to get at least a thousand observations from the community and that can allow us to collect data on a scale that’s really not possible for an event like this that lasts just a few minutes.”

Scientists like Aguilar and Rosvall aren’t able to be spread across the path of totality, some simple observations from the app help them collect a lot more data.

The Solar Bird app is made to be user-friendly. It just has you spend a few seconds before, during and after the eclipse observing the birds around you and answering a few prompts about what they are doing.

”It would be like flying, the bird is on the ground, it’s sitting in a tree, maybe you hear it singing,” Aguilar explained as she showed off the new app.

They’re hoping to get people in a variety of areas to show how different environments could also impact what the birds do during the eclipse.

“We can analyze that to get a sense of what types of species respond to an eclipse,” Rosvall said. “How do they respond? Are urban birds more likely to respond than rural birds, for example.”

Aguilar said no advanced knowledge of birds is required and you can do this from anywhere inside the path of totality. They’ve made the app as simple as possible so nearly anyone can use it.

”I have a 9-year-old, she’s excited to use it,” said Rosvall. “We’ve made it so a lot of the things are visual.”

Overall, the team wants to make sure this only enhances the overall eclipse experience.

”We want people to still really be engaged with the moment and the experience the day of, but we hope this is a way for them to really connect with nature and the event,” Aguilar said.

And, if weather complicates a clear view of the sky on April 8, Aguilar said you’ll still be able to look around you and see how the sudden darkness impacts the environment.

”Animals are still going to be responding to that,” she said. “These shifts in environmental cues are still going to be affecting them in some way.”

Aguilar said she expects the Solar Bird app to be ready to go on all app stores a week out from the eclipse. The app is completely free.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 59.