Biology
The Influence of Social Learning on Migration Routes in Whooping Cranes
Quick fact
In a remarkable conservation effort, captive-bred whooping cranes are taught a new migration route by following an ultralight aircraft, proving that migration routes can be learned socially and are not entirely hardwired.
Why this is interesting
How do whooping cranes, which have no parents to teach them, learn where to migrate? The answer involves an unlikely teacher: an ultralight aircraft.