Happy Lunar New Year! Today is the first new moon of the lunar calendar. Did you know that the phase of the moon really does have an effect on some wildlife behaviours?
It doesn't have anything to do with the moon making things crazy, it's all related to the amount of ambient light during different moon phases!
During a new moon, some nocturnal insect-eating birds like Nightjars and Nighthawks decrease their hunting activity because the lack of moonlight makes it harder to see their insect prey flying around. On the other hand, some birds like Saw-whet Owls are MORE active on new moon nights. These owls are very tiny and can become prey for larger birds like Great Horned Owls. As such, they hunt more under the safety of darkness and lay low during the bright full moon nights.
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