Interesting facts about migrating birds

 How far can migrating birds migrate?

Migrating birds have always fascinated man. Their disappearance and reappearance in large numbers according to the seasons were observed by man even in ancient days. In the ancient literature of Sanskrit, Greek, and Finnish and even in the Old Testament references to bird migration are found.

However, it was only during the beginning of the twentieth century that scientists tried to observe and study this extraordinary phenomenon properly.

For marking and identifying individual birds, the use of bands and rings is of great help. Although all the mysteries of migrating birds have not been solved or explained, these studies have revealed many fascinating facts.

Most experts think that there is a connection between the change in the climate and the breeding instinct which is responsible for their migration.

Birds come back to their breeding place at almost the same time each year. Hundreds of species of birds are known to migrate in the world. Some of the species living in the mountains adjust to the changes by migrating to the foothills and valleys during winter and back to the mountains for summer.

 Many others in the Western Hemisphere have long migratory routes. The Arctic terns are amazing birds with their capacity to travel 22,000 miles in one round migration!

The routes followed by different migratory birds are very diverse. Some birds travel at night and some species prefer the daytime journey. Most of the birds make short hops during their migration.

 But those who cross the seas have to travel long distances without any stopovers! The American golden plover may fly from Nova Scotia to South America over water in a nonstop flight – a distance of about 2,400 miles!

How do birds decide when to migrate?

Migration of birds means the movement of birds from one place to another and back according to the seasons of the year. Millions of birds, with surprising regularity, leave the place where they have given birth to their young ones or where they were born and fly to other places where they can spend the winter more comfortably.

 This may involve moving from lowlands to highlands and back from the interior to the seacoasts and back or from the southern hemisphere to the northern and back.

The amazing regularity with which these birds migrate every year always fascinated man. We have many different ways to calculate time, days and seasons, but how do these birds know when it's time to start their long journey and which route to take?

One of the easiest ways to know that the season is changing is the change in the length of the day. It is believed that birds are very sensitive to this fact and can know when the days become shorter (in winter) and longer (in spring or summer). This sense is their guiding clock which tells them the time to take off for the journey.

Another important factor is the availability of food. In places where the winter months are too harsh, it becomes difficult to get food, warmer areas are more favourable for survival.

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