Q: Why do birds migrate?
Phillip Elden: Birds migrate for a number of reasons. Primarily, to seek food. Birds must also look for nesting locations in more temperate conditions as temperatures begin to drop in their normal habitat. It is a common misconception that birds only migrate south. Birds in the northern hemisphere sometimes move further north during the spring to enjoy a smorgasbord of seasonally-emerging insects.
Q: What are the different types of migrating patterns?
Phillip Elden: Birds can be separated into four categories for migration. Permanent residents are those that do not migrate. They can find food year-round. A short-distance migrator may simply move from one elevation to the next during the coldest part of the year. Medium migrators may leave their home for months at a time, but they only go a few states away. There are 350 species of long-distance migrants in the US. These flying friends go from the northern United States and Canada to South and Central America.
Q: Why do birds migrate long distances?
Phillip Elden: The origins of long-distance migration are not fully understood by science. What is hypothesized is that birds evolved over many generations – thousands of years – to seek longer days, shorter nights, and better food sources.
Q: How do birds know it’s time to migrate?
Phillip Elden: Birds, which are natural navigators, are triggered into migration by many different factors. A change in food supply, cooler temperatures, and much shorter days are likely their instinctual reasons. It is believed that it is a type of genetic muscle memory, and birds of many different species follow the same migratory patterns of their ancestors.
