Wings and Migration
Monarch butterflies from populations with different migratory behaviors have wings of different sizes, say Dr. Andy Davis and Dr. Sonia Altizer of the University of Georgia. They collected monarchs from migratory and nonmigratory populations. (Monarchs found in Hawaii, Costa Rica, Puerto Rica and southern Florida do not migrate.) "Monarchs from all nonmigratory populations were smaller than those from migratory populations," they discovered. These findings match studies that compared wing size in migratory and nonmigratory birds. Wings that are long and have narrow tips appear to be the best shaped wings for long-distance flight. Image: Andrew K. Davis