Lots of Moons: What is the “Moon Bird Mistake”?

19 March 2015

The Short Answer (TSA)

In ancient times, travel was both slow and rare. Without being able to gad about from place to place, some answers that seem obvious to us, today, eluded our ancestors completely. Over many centuries, there was a major question that was the focus of great scientific speculation. Where do certain species of birds go during the winter? Some birds, of course, stick around, but why do others disappear only to reappear the following spring.

Not to worry. The question was finally resolved in the 16th century when mapmaker and writer Olaus Magnus solved the problem of where swallows went during the winter. These birds simply gather together in the autumn of each year in flocks. Then, together, they all sink themselves into a river. Reaching the bottom, the flock buries itself in the clay of the river bottom. The birds remain buried in the mud until the following spring when they reemerge.

Fortunately, this nonsensical theory was soon challenged by Charles Morton, an English minister and scientist. Although Morton was no more widely traveled than Magnus, and certainly had no actual evidence, he felt he didn’t need any. Reason alone could solve the bird migration problem. And, in a treatise, Morton explained that migrating birds flew to the moon every autumn and back to earth every spring.

Calculating a surprisingly close estimate of the actual distance from the earth to the moon, Morton figured the birds flew at about 125 mph on a 60 day journey to the moon. He explained that there was, honestly, no other reasonable conclusion. After all, a number of bird species disappeared entirely in the early fall. Since none were seen on earth, again, until spring, the only place they could possibly go was . . . into space. And if you’re flying into space, the only reasonably close destination was the moon.

Morton pointed out that Magnus’ theory about the swallows sinking themselves into the clay of river bottoms, was after all, a bit ridiculous. There was no air to breath at the bottom of a river and the cold would have been deadly.

On the other hand, it only made good sense that the birds, noticing their diminishing food supply in the winter, would take off into space. The flight, though long, was actually easy. Without air, the vacuum of space eliminated all air resistance and made flight easy. So, easy, the birds could sleep through most of the trip.

In fairness to Morton, he drew on the best scientific opinions of his time which included descriptions of the moon as a lush body full of forests, plants, rivers and lakes. There was even a legend of one man having been “flown” there by a bunch of birds. Although taken as “a tall tale” in its own time, by Morton’s day, the legend had morphed into a scientific fact and was an important part of the evidence thought to confirm Morton’s theory.