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Why do migratory birds gather in flocks? Which birds fly south first?

Birds are warm-blooded creatures. Their average body temperature is 41°C. This means that they can remain active in the cold season, but need more food. Therefore, many birds leave their snowy native places and go to warm countries for the winter.

The main reasons why birds fly south in winter are lack of food and cold. Migration is more typical for species of high and temperate latitudes: in the tundra almost all species of birds are migratory, in the taiga - three quarters of the species. The number of migratory species in certain habitats also depends on how sharply their feeding conditions differ in summer and winter. Thus, among the inhabitants of forests and settlements, about half of the species are migratory, and among the inhabitants of fields, swamps, and reservoirs - almost all species. migratory There are more birds among insectivores and carnivores, fewer among granivores. This is understandable: while grain can still be found in winter, there are no insects at all.

MIGRATION BIRDS

But there are birds that don’t mind the cold. They find suitable conditions for existence in their homeland all year round and do not fly. Such birds are called sedentary.

In the winter forest you can hear a woodpecker busily knocking, titmice, pikas, nuthatches and jays chirping. The capercaillie does not leave the winter forest, because it always has food - tasty pine needles. But black grouse and hazel grouse eat alder catkins, buds and juniper berries.

The amazing crossbill bird even manages to build nests and hatch chicks in winter. The crossbill feeds on spruce seeds, which it extracts from cones using its beak.

Some birds, during a favorable winter, remain in their homeland, but in harsh winters they wander from place to place. This nomadic birds. These include some birds that nest high in the mountains; in the cold season they descend into the valleys.

Finally, there are also birds that, in favorable winter conditions, are sedentary, but in unfavorable years, for example, when the seed crop fails coniferous plants, fly far beyond the boundaries of their nesting homeland. These are waxwings, titmice, walnuts, redpolls, bullfinches, jays and many others. Sajis nesting in the steppes and semi-deserts of Central and Central Asia behave in the same way.

WINTERING AND NOMADING BIRDS

Some widespread bird species are migratory in some places and sedentary in others. Among wild pigeons there are migratory, nomadic and resident birds. Hoodie from the northern regions Soviet Union flies to the southern regions for the winter, and in the south this bird is sedentary. In our country, the blackbird is a migratory bird, and in the cities of Western Europe it is a sedentary bird. Rooks in more northern latitudes are migratory birds, and in more southern latitudes, for example, in Ukraine and the Black Earth Region, they are sedentary. The house sparrow lives all year round in the European part of Russia, and from Central Asia flies to India for the winter.

Wonderful pictures with migratory and wintering birds. Which birds remain to spend the winter in their homeland, and which ones fly away?

Walking through a park or forest, we listen to birds singing and often simply don’t think about which bird trills so nicely. There are birds that live in our area all year round, but there are also those that fly to “warmer climes” in the fall.

The fact is that in winter it is very difficult for birds to find food for themselves, because insects, berries and grains become scarce, and when snow falls, it is almost impossible to find them at all. AND different types birds solve this problem in different ways: migratory birds fly hundreds and even thousands of kilometers to warmer countries, and sedentary birds adapt to our harsh winters.



A tit in the snow, which apparently wants to eat some seeds

Settled, wintering birds: list, photos with names

To help the birds that remain over the winter find food, feeders are hung. And it is quite possible that they will be of interest to the following visitors:

  • Sparrow. Noisy sparrows that fly in flocks may well become the first visitors to the feeder.


  • Tit. Tits are in many ways not inferior to sparrows; they quickly rush to feed in feeders. But compared to sparrows, tits are endowed with a more gentle disposition. Interestingly, in the summer the tit eats almost as much food as it weighs. You can often see mixed flocks of both sparrows and tits at feeders.




  • Gaichka. A close relative of the tit. However, the chickadee's breast is not yellow, but light brown. The chickadee also differs from other tits in that it makes a hollow in a tree to make a nest in it.


Gaichka - special kind tits
  • Crow. Crows are often confused with rooks. It is known that in the western part of Russia crows are very rare. Therefore, if you live in the European part of Russia and see a black bird emitting a piercing croak, then most likely it is a rook.


  • Pigeon. The distribution and lifestyle of pigeons was largely influenced by people who simply brought them with them to different parts of the Earth. Now pigeons are found on all continents except Antarctica. Pigeons easily change rocks, which are natural environment their habitats, on buildings created by man.


The nodding gait of pigeons is due to the fact that this makes it easier for them to examine the object of interest to them.
  • Woodpecker. In the warm season, woodpeckers feed mainly on insects, which they get from under the bark of trees, and in the winter cold, they can also feed plant foods: seeds and nuts.


  • Magpie. The magpie is considered a bird with high intelligence, she is able to express a lot of emotions, including sadness, and knows how to recognize her reflection in the mirror. It is interesting that not only its fellow birds react to the alarming cry of a magpie, but also other birds, as well as wild animals, in particular bears and wolves.


Magpie - wintering bird
  • Owl. Owls come in different varieties, large and small, and there are more than 200 species in total. These birds are endowed sharp vision and excellent hearing, which allows them to lead a nocturnal lifestyle. It’s interesting that the tufts on an owl’s head are not ears; owls’ real ears are hidden in the feathers, and one of them is directed upward, and the other downward, in order to better hear what is happening above the head and on the ground.


Owl is a night bird
  • This bird is also considered an owl and is a close relative of other owls.


  • A rare owl that lives mainly in mountainous areas in northern latitudes. The name of the bird, according to different versions, means “inedible” or “insatiable.”


  • Jackdaw. Externally, jackdaws are similar to rooks and crows; moreover, there are mixed flocks in which all three species of birds can be seen. However, the jackdaw is smaller in size than the crow. And if you are lucky enough to observe a jackdaw up close, you can easily recognize it by the gray color of some of its feathers.


  • Nuthatch. This little bird climbs tree trunks very deftly. In summer, nuthatches hide seeds and nuts in the bark, and in winter they feed on these supplies.


  • Crossbill. Like the nuthatch, this bird is excellent at climbing trees and can hang upside down on branches. Crossbill's favorite food is seeds from spruce and pine cones. This bird is remarkable in that it can hatch chicks even in winter, but only if there is enough food.


  • Bullfinch. Only males have bright red plumage on the chest; females look much more modest. Bullfinches are more often seen in winter, because due to lack of food, they are drawn to people. In summer, bullfinches prefer wooded areas and behave inconspicuously, so they are not easy to see.


  • Waxwing. A bird with beautiful plumage and a singing voice. In summer it feeds mainly on insects and likes to settle in coniferous forests. In winter, the waxwing moves to more southern regions of the country and is often found in cities. In the cold season, rowan and other fruits become the main food for birds.


  • Jay. A large bird, which, however, can fly to feast on a feeder hung by people. In the summer it is rarely seen in the city, but closer to winter the bird begins to reach out to human habitation.


  • Kinglet. One of the smallest birds, the weight of an adult male is only 5-7 grams. Kinglets are relatives of sparrows.


Kinglet - forest dweller
  • . A large bird that is a favorite trophy for many hunters. Pheasants can fly, but most often move on foot.


  • Grouse. It is also an object of hunting, despite the fact that this bird is quite small. The weight of an adult hazel grouse rarely reaches 500 g. Interestingly, the largest population of these birds lives in Russia.


The hazel grouse is a bird that is related to the black grouse
  • Another bird that is related to hunting. Black grouse are found at the edge of the forest and in the forest-steppe.


  • Falcon. Considered one of the smartest birds on the planet and one of the most best hunters. The falcon is capable of working in tandem with a person, but it is very difficult to tame it.


  • . Like the falcon, it is a bird of prey. A hawk's vision is 8 times sharper than a human's. And rushing after prey, the hawk can reach speeds of up to 240 km/h.


Migratory and nomadic birds: list, photos with names

  • Rooks differ from crows in having a gray-yellow beak. In Kuban and Ukraine, you can see how in the fall rooks gather in huge flocks, so large that the sky seems black from the birds soaring in it - these are rooks that fly south. However, rooks are classified as migratory birds only conditionally, some of them remain to winter in central Russia, some winter in Ukraine, and only some birds fly to the warm shores of Turkey for the winter.


  • They really like to fly to freshly dug ground, sometimes they fly right behind a plowing tractor in order to have time to get as many worms and larvae as possible from the dug up ground.


  • This inconspicuous bird with a singing voice loves warmth, and therefore flies south in the fall. And for wintering, our native nightingales chose hot Africa. These birds fly to the eastern part of the continent - Kenya and Ethiopia - for the winter. However, local residents cannot enjoy their singing, because nightingales sing only in mating season, which takes place in their homeland.


  • Martin. Swallows love rocky terrain; they often settle on the steep walls of quarries that people have dug. However, our winters are too harsh for swallows and therefore in the fall they fly to the southern part of Africa, far from us, or to Tropical Asia.


  • Chizh. Like the rook, it is a migratory bird that arrives early and winters nearby: in the Caucasus, Kazakhstan and southern Europe. Externally, siskins are inconspicuous, their gray-green feathers are absolutely not noticeable against the background of the branches. The bird's temperament matches its appearance: quiet and meek.


  • Goldfinch. In Europe it is a wintering bird, however, in Russia goldfinches can only be seen in summer. By winter, goldfinches gather in flocks and move to lands with a warmer climate. Goldfinches are close relatives of siskins.


The goldfinch is one of the most colorful birds
  • A slender bird that runs quickly along the ground and shakes its tail with every step. Wagtails spend the winter in east africa, southern Asia, and sometimes in southern Europe.


  • Quail. The only bird from the Galliformes order that is migratory. The weight of an adult quail is not so large and amounts to 80-150 g. In summer, quails can be found in fields sown with wheat and rye. Quails winter far beyond the borders of our homeland: in southern Africa and southern Asia, on the Hindustan Peninsula.


  • Thrush. The song thrush, with its sweet trills, creates worthy competition for the nightingale. A appearance his, like that of the nightingale, is inconspicuous. In winter, blackbirds become Europeans: Italy, France and Spain are their second homeland.


  • Lark. Larks return from warm countries very early; sometimes already in March you can hear their sonorous song, which becomes a harbinger of spring warmth. And larks spend the winter in Southern Europe.


  • Gull. With the onset of cold weather, seagulls living on the coasts of the northern seas migrate to the Black and Caspian Seas. But over the years, seagulls are increasingly drawn to people, and increasingly remain to spend the winter in cities.


  • . Swifts winter in Africa, and fly to its equatorial part or even go to southern part mainland.


  • Starlings really need birdhouses, since most often they breed their offspring in them. And our starlings go to Southern Europe and East Africa for the winter.




This bizarre black cloud is a flock of starlings returning home
  • Finch. Finches from the western part of the country winter mainly in Central Europe and the Mediterranean, and finches that live near the Urals in the summer go to winter in Southern Kazakhstan and the southern regions of Asia.


Chaffinch - a noisy inhabitant of the forest
  • Heron. It is quite difficult to determine where herons spend the winter; some of them travel huge distances to South Africa, some winter in the Crimea or the Kuban, and in the Stavropol Territory, herons sometimes even remain for the winter.


  • Crane. These birds are monogamous, and once having chosen a partner, they remain faithful to him throughout their lives. Cranes settle in swampy areas. And their wintering places are as diverse as those of herons: Southern Europe, Africa and even China - in all these parts of the world you can find cranes that have flown from Russia to spend the winter.


  • Stork. In Russia there are black and white storks. White storks build huge nests, up to one and a half meters wide, and make very long flights to the south. Sometimes they cross half the planet and reach South Africa, a country located in the very south of Africa.


  • Swan. The swan is a bird that represents devotion and romance. Swans are waterfowl, so for wintering they choose places near water, often the Caspian or Mediterranean Sea.


  • Duck. Wild ducks, as a rule, do not fly far in winter and remain in the vast expanses of post-Soviet states. It is noteworthy that their domestic relatives also begin to worry in the fall and sometimes try to fly away, sometimes they even fly over fences and fly short distances.


  • . Cuckoos live in forests, forest-steppe, and steppe. The vast majority of cuckoos fly to tropical and South Africa, less commonly, cuckoos winter in South Asia: in India and China.


  • . A small bird with a singing voice and bright plumage that flies to the tropics for the winter.


  • . They wake up at dawn and are among the first to start the morning song. This little songbird used to be called a robin. Robins fly to southern Europe for the winter, North Africa and to the Middle East, they are among the first to return home.


What is the difference between migratory birds and wintering birds: presentation for preschoolers





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Slide 3: presentation of migratory birds

















Why do migratory birds fly to warmer climes, where they spend the winter, and why do they come back?

Winter is a harsh test for birds. And only those who can get food for themselves in harsh conditions remain to spend the winter.



What are some ways for birds to survive in cold weather?

  • Some birds store food for the winter in the summer. They hide plant seeds, nuts, acorns, caterpillars and larvae in grass and cracks in tree bark. Such birds include the nuthatch.
  • Some birds are not afraid of people and live near residential buildings. In winter, they find food in feeders and garbage heaps.
  • Some birds are predators and feed on rodents. Eat birds of prey, which can feed on hares, hunt fish, small birds and bats.


If a bird can find food for itself in winter, it means it does not need to go on a tedious and difficult flight to warmer climes in the fall.



It would seem that everything is simple, and the only reason for the seasonal migration of birds is the lack of food. But in reality there are more questions here than answers. For example, imagine that a wild duck, which is a migratory bird, was given an artificially heated pond and sufficient quantity food. Will she stay for the winter? Of course not. She will be called to long journey, strong feeling, which is difficult to explain, called natural instinct.



It turns out that birds fly away to warmer regions, as if out of habit, because their ancestors did this for hundreds and thousands of years.



Another question that needs an answer: why do birds return from warm countries every spring? Ornithological scientists have concluded that the beginning of the return flight is associated with the activation of sex hormones and the beginning of the breeding season. But why do birds fly thousands of kilometers and hatch their chicks exactly where they were born? Poets and romantic natures They say that birds, like people, are simply drawn to their homeland.

How do migratory birds know where to fly? A question to which to this day there is no clear answer. It has been experimentally proven that birds can navigate in completely unfamiliar terrain and in conditions of limited visibility, when neither the sun nor the stars are visible. They have an organ that allows them to navigate magnetic field Earth.

But the mystery remains how young individuals, who have never flown to warm regions before, find their own wintering place, and how do they know the route to fly? It turns out that in birds, information about the point on the map where you need to fly is recorded at the genetic level and, moreover, a route to it is drawn.



Do migratory birds build nests in the south?

Birds wintering in warm regions do not lay eggs or hatch chicks, which means they do not need a nest. Only chicks that migratory birds will hatch in their homeland need a nest.



Which birds are the first and last to arrive in spring?

They arrive first in the spring rooks. These birds return to their homeland in early spring, when the first thawed patches in the snow appear. With their strong beaks, rooks dig out larvae in such thawed areas, which form the basis of their diet.

The last to arrive are the birds, which feed on flying insects. These are swallows, swifts, and orioles. The diet of these birds consists of:

  • Komarov
  • Moshek
  • Horseflies
  • Zhukov
  • Cicadas
  • Butterflies

Because for the appearance large quantity adult flying insects from larvae need warm weather and about two weeks of time, then the birds that feed on them fly to their homeland after the mass appearance of these insects.



Which birds are the first and last to fly away in the fall?

With the onset of autumn cold weather, insects complete their active life cycle and go into hibernation. Therefore, the birds that feed on insects are the first to fly to warmer climes. Then the birds fly away and feed on the plants. Waterfowl are the last to fly away. There is enough food in the water for them even in autumn. And they fly away before the water in reservoirs begins to freeze.

VIDEO: Birds fly south

What flock of migratory birds promises snow?

By folk signs, if a flock of wild ones flew south geese— you need to wait for the first snow to fall. This sign may not coincide with real weather phenomena. So in the north of Russia, geese fly to warmer climes in mid-September, and snow can fall much earlier. Let's say the first snow in Norilsk this year fell on August 25th. In the south, geese fly to warmer climes at the end of October, and sometimes even at the beginning of November. The first snow in these areas may occur around this time. But it all depends weather conditions autumn. Indian summer here can last throughout October.

VIDEO: Geese gather in flocks to fly south

Which bird from the order Galliformes is migratory?

A migratory bird from the order Galliformes is quail. The quail's habitat extends beyond Russia in the west and south. In the east, these birds live up to the western coast of Lake Baikal. They are widespread in Europe, Western Asia and Africa.



For the winter they fly south. And they winter in Hindustan, Northern Africa and South-West Asia.

VIDEO: How do migratory birds fly?

More from early years We know that in autumn many species of birds begin to appear in the sky, heading south. But often both children and adults find it difficult to answer what kind of birds they are. But before answering this question, let's find out what groups birds are divided into.

All scientists existing species The birds were divided into two groups. One included migrants, and the other wintered. All birds are warm-blooded, that is, their average body temperature is about 41 degrees.

Many people also believe that they have to leave their homes because they may freeze in winter. But this is not the main reason, it’s just that in winter it will be very difficult for them to find food for themselves. Thus, wintering birds include those species of birds that are able to get food for themselves during the cold season.

These species include woodpecker, capercaillie, tit, nuthatch, jay, pika, hazel grouse, and black grouse. In addition to them, some inhabitants of the cities also remain for the winter, who will be able to get food for themselves at any time.

What birds fly away in autumn?

In the fall, insectivorous bird species, such as the wagtail, fly away first. While it remains possible to find seeds or fruits, granivores are still in place. But as soon as the snow falls, or rather when the grains are hidden under a layer of snow, siskins, buntings and finches fly away. And many people probably know which birds are the last to fly away in the fall. Waterfowl ducks and geese begin to leave their homes when rivers and ponds begin to be frozen by ice floes.

In addition, some bird species, both wintering and migratory, leave their habitats depending on weather conditions. In cases where the year turned out to be fruitful, and there was little snow, bullfinch, redpoll, waxwing, and butternut may remain for the winter. But if the feeding situation is unfavorable, they begin to join the birds that are about to fly south.

Birds are also divided into migratory and wintering, depending on the area of ​​residence of these individuals. For example, in northern regions Even crows and rooks begin to fly away towards the south, while their southern counterparts remain in place during this period. Blackbirds from Central Russia fly away for the winter, and in Western Europe they do not leave their habitats.

Complete list of migratory birds

1. Gray Heron - Ardea cinerea 30. Fieldfare - Turdus pilaris
2. Buzzard – Buteo buteo 31. Deryaba - Turdus viscivorus
3. Harrier - Circus cyaneus 32. White-browed - Turdus iliacus
4. Hobby - Falco subbuteo 33. Song Thrush - Turdus philomelos
5. Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus 34. Blackbird - Turdus merula
6. Quail - Coturnix coturnix 35. Meadow stonechat - Saxicola rubetra
7. Crake - Crex crex 36. Common redstart - Phoenicurus phoenicurus
8. Coot - Fulica atra 37. Robin - Erithacus rubecula
9. Lapwing - Vanellus vanellus 38. Common nightingale - Luscinia luscinia
10. Tie - Charadrius hiaticula 39. Bluethroat - Luscinia svecica
11. Blackling - Tringa ochropus 40. Garden Warbler – Sylvia borin
12. Woodcock -Skolopax rusticola 41. Gray Warbler - Sylvia communis
13. Black-headed gull - Larus ridibundus 42. Whitethroat - Sylvia curruca
14. Common tern - Sterna hirundo 43. Black-headed Warbler - Sylvia atricapilla
15. Klintukh - Columbia oenas 44. Willow warbler - Phylloscopus trochilus
16. Common cuckoo - Cuculus canorus 45. Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collibita
17. Common nightjar - Caprimulgus europaeus 46. ​​Warbler - Phylloscopus sibilatrix
18. Black swift - Apus apus 47. Green warbler - Phylloscopus trochiloides
19. Spinner – Junx torquilla 48. Marsh warbler - Acrocephalus palustris
20. Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica 49. Garden warbler - Acrocephalus dumetorum
21. City swallow - Delichon urbica 50. Badger warbler - Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
22. Shoreline - Riparia riparia 51. Common cricket - Locustella naevia
23. Sky lark - Alauda arvensis 52. River cricket - Locustella fluviatilis
24. Forest Pipit - Anthus trivialis 53. Gray flycatcher - Muscicapa striata
25. White wagtail - Motacilla alba 54. Pied Flycatcher - Ficedula hypoleuca
26. Common shrike - Lanius collurio 55. Lesser flycatcher - Ficedula parva
27. Common oriole — Oreolus oreolus 56. Finch - Fringila coelebs
28. Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes 57. Common lentil - Carpodacus erythrinus
29. Wood Accentor - Prunella modularis 58. Reed Bunting - Emberiza schoeniculus

There are some mysteries behind the seasonal migrations of birds, for example, how do they determine the start time of the migration, and how do they manage to find their native nest with such accuracy? You can learn about this and what pushes birds to change places in this article.

Mysteries of bird flights

Bird migration has stunned human imagination since ancient times. This is evidenced by oral traditions dating back to the pre-literate era of human existence. The great Homer wrote about this three thousand years ago, this question confused the biblical sages, and one of the greatest minds of antiquity, Aristotle, struggled with its solution.

However, despite all the efforts of Aristotle and other inquisitive minds, humans have not yet been able to give a comprehensive answer to the question of how exactly birds determine their flight time. In the context of this article, migrations mean the seasonal movements of birds in the fall to the south and in the spring to the north, as well as their movements from the continental depths to the coast and from the plains to the highlands.

We have a pretty good idea of ​​what causes birds to migrate. For example, some species simply go to warmer climes because they are unable to cope with life in winter conditions.

Those species of birds whose diet is based on small rodents or insects certain types, they simply cannot find food for themselves in the cold.

It may seem strange, but in itself low temperature air is not a sufficient reason to fly. Few people know about this, but birds are uniquely frost-resistant. For example, a canary that comes from hot latitudes can survive at temperatures of about 45 degrees Celsius below zero, but for this the bird must have enough food. Therefore, a much more compelling argument for changing your place of residence is not the cold, but the hunger associated with it.

When do birds fly away?

Regardless of what reasons birds find for migrating (and there are a lot of such reasons, and the matter is not limited to hunger), the question remains: “how do birds know that the time has come to leave their homes and change their place of residence?” Observations by ornithologists have established that birds fly away at approximately the same time every year, and precisely when the seasons change. But what is the most reliable, unmistakable sign of this change? Most would agree that it is a change in the length of the day.

The breeding season for birds is summer time, and this is also closely related to flights. Only in in this case, the birds are moving in a northerly direction. Certain glands in the bird's body begin to produce substances related to reproduction, this happens in the spring, and the bird, feeling the need to procreate, heads north, where summer begins.

Consequently, the disappearance of food and a change in the length of the day give the bird a signal that it is time to go to warmer climes. And in the spring, the instinct of procreation tells the bird that it is time to fly north. Of course, there are other factors that we do not yet fully understand, but those listed above are the key that will allow us to unravel the mystery of bird migration.


Where do birds get a compass?

Researchers are still tormented by the question, “how do birds manage to find their way to the right place during migration?” At the end of summer, in different parts of the world, many birds, having left their native places, go south for the winter. They often travel to completely different continents, covering distances of several thousand kilometers. With the arrival of spring, these birds not only return to home country, but often in the same nest, located in the same house or on the same tree.

How do they manage to find their way? To find the answer to this question, many interesting experiments have been done. For example, during one of them, shortly before the time of autumn migration, a group of storks was taken from their native nests and moved to another place. Once in a new location, they would have to take a completely different direction to get to their destination. Few people believed in this, but when the time to fly came, they did just that, very accurately determining in which direction they should fly in order to reach the place they needed. This suggests that birds have some kind of instinct that tells them in which direction to move as winter approaches.


Birds' ability to find their way home is simply amazing. For example, during another experiment, birds were taken by plane 400 miles from their native places. However, when the birds were released, they returned to their place.

But, it should be recognized that if we say that instinct leads birds in the right direction, then this will explain practically nothing. How exactly does this instinct work? How exactly do birds find their way home? After all, everyone knows that birds do not receive any lessons in geography or navigation.

Parents cannot teach this either, since very often they themselves do it for the first time. In addition, flights often occur at night and, therefore, birds are not able to see landmarks that could help them determine their location. And for birds flying over large expanses of water, there cannot be any landmarks at all.

According to one hypothesis, birds have the ability to sense the magnetic fields surrounding the Earth.

Magnetic lines are located in the direction from the north magnetic pole to south pole. It is possible that these lines are guides for birds. However, no matter how good this hypothesis was, it did not receive any confirmation.


In fact, science has never found a comprehensive explanation of how exactly birds manage to find their way during their migrations and how they manage to find their home places. By the way, one interesting historical fact is connected with bird flights.

When Christopher Columbus was already sailing to the shores of America, large flocks of birds heading in a southwestern direction caught his eye. This indicated that there was land nearby, and he changed course, following the birds in a southwesterly direction. If he had not done this, he would have landed on the shores of Florida rather than in the Bahamas.

Why fly away?

What distances can birds travel? Everyone knows that birds migrate regularly, and people have long used the departure and return of certain birds to determine the onset of the next season. However, no one has fully understood why the birds take such a long journey.


It does not seem possible to explain this by temperature changes alone. Thanks to feathers, the bird can perfectly protect itself from the cold. Yes, as cold weather approaches, there is less food and this can be a compelling argument for changing habitat. It would seem that everything is clear. But then why do the birds come back again in the spring? Some researchers have suggested that there is a relationship between the instinct of procreation in birds and climate change.

Are we flying far?

Regardless of the reasons behind bird migrations, there is no doubt that birds are the most active travelers in the animal kingdom. Well, if you try to find a champion, among champions, then it will be the Arctic terns. In just one year, during their flights, they cover a distance of approximately 22,000 (this is not a mistake: twenty-two thousand!) miles.


Terns nest over vast areas, from the American state of Massachusetts to Arctic Circle. These birds fly to the Arctic in about twenty weeks, covering about a thousand miles every week.

The majority of birds make fairly short flights during migration.

American golden plovers make long, non-stop flights over the ocean. This bird can fly from New Scotland in Canada to South America, covering 2,400 miles of water without stopping.

Do birds fly away strictly “on schedule”

It is also of interest whether the birds begin their migration on the same day every year. A lot of articles and studies have been written on this topic, but despite them, many people believe that this is exactly the case. However, such birds that fly out on the same day every year have not yet been found in nature. True, some species of birds are quite close to this, but no more.

Thus, the famous California swallows from Capistrano are believed to fly away on October 23 and return on March 19. However, this is nothing more than an established opinion, which is considered to be a recognized fact. In fact, the date of their departure, as well as the date of return, changes every year.

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With the onset of cold weather, some species of birds fly from Russia to warmer places. Birds are warm-blooded animals, with a body temperature of 41 degrees, but then what makes them fly away? winter period to the south? According to statistics on Russian territory There are more than 60 species of birds, most of which migrate seasonally to southern countries. To recognize which birds are migratory birds, you need to pay attention to what they eat. In conditions of food shortage, birds tend to find food in other territories.

There are insectivorous, granivorous and carnivorous birds. Insectivorous winged birds fly away first, because with the onset of cold weather, insects either hide or disappear. The lack of food forces birds to fly to other countries for it, where insects are present all year round and the temperature is warm.

Birds living in the tundra or taiga almost all fly to where the climate is warmer. Among other migratory species of birds, ornithologists distinguish:

  • finches;
  • robins;
  • rooks;
  • jackdaw;
  • garden warblers;
  • kingfishers;
  • lapwings;
  • orioles;
  • flycatchers;
  • lark;
  • cuckoos;
  • swans;
  • starlings;
  • blackbirds;
  • Solovyov and others.

Insectivores, carnivores and granivores

A striking example of this is the swallow, which feeds on cockchafers and dragonflies. Swallows prefer to find their food on Mediterranean coast. To carnivores migratory birds include herons that feed on fish and frogs. In winter, lakes and rivers freeze, making it impossible for these birds to feed.

Granivorous birds also suffer, as it is difficult for them to find seeds and herbs in the snow. Popular herbivorous birds are cranes, which prefer to prepare for departure in early autumn. Gathering in flocks, heat-loving cranes notify people of their departure. guttural scream. However, not all cranes leave their native lands, but only those who live in the northern regions of Russia.

Which birds spend the winter?

Sedentary species of birds do not leave their habitats and do not fly to the winter warm regions. Adapting to living conditions modern people and temperature, the birds do not fly south, but remain, continuing to feed on leftover food collected from trash cans and landfills.

Also, people themselves feed representatives of sedentary species using special feeders. Birds that do not leave their native land:

  • tits;
  • sparrows;
  • woodpeckers;
  • bullfinches;
  • squints;
  • crows;
  • waxwings;
  • nuthatches;
  • pigeons

Which birds fly to warmer climes first?

Insectivorous winged species are the first to leave their native land. Swifts fly high, where it is much cooler and insects begin to disappear faster. Further, swallows fly south.

Singing wagtails feed only on dragonflies, which they skillfully intercept in flight. Dragonflies, in turn, either die with the onset of cold weather or hide in secluded places, depriving the wagtails of food. At the beginning of autumn, these birds gather in flocks and set off at dawn. They return home at the beginning of spring.

Who's the last one to fly away?

After the insectivorous species, the herbivores fly away. The last to leave are ducks, swans and geese, which can find food until the water will be covered with an ice crust. Only then will fishing cease to be possible.

Ducks winter on Balkan Peninsula, swans fly to Greece and Great Britain, and cranes to Italy. TO separate species winged ones include the so-called “nomadic”. These birds remain in their native lands in the fall and even during the warm winter. Waxwing, bullfinch, siskin, bee-eater, goldfinch and tit are representatives of nomadic species. They fly away only if the air temperature is extremely low.

The first cold nights in August are signals for birds to fly away. Every year there is migration to the Mediterranean and African countries. Cuckoos, flycatchers, and swallows travel to the African continent. Seagulls migrate to the shores of the Azov and Caspian seas. Starlings go to France.

Ornithologists are surprised by the Arctic long-tailed tern, which lives in the Siberian regions in summer and spring, and goes to Antarctica for the winter u. Scientists are trying to explain this phenomenon by the fact that terns eat fish and small crustaceans, i.e., creatures that live mainly in cold water.

What birds fly to warm regions and why they do this is written above. They have to fly away natural reasons, which people cannot change in any way, but you can try to make the life of the remaining birds easier: feed the birds in winter or build special feeders on the trees. This is unlikely to stop other birds from flying away, but it will definitely contribute to the development of the animal world.