BIRD MIGRATION!!By Kaleb K., Katie B., Katie J., Maddy H., Jacob G.

WHAT IS MIGRATION?

Migration is the movement of birds from one area to the next with the changing of the seasons.

WHAT DO BIRDS USE TO HELP WITH MIGRATING?

Many birds have to travel 70,000 miles to reach their destination so they need accurate ways to determine their position. Birds use several methods to determine where they are, some use: Magnetite above their nostrils The position of the stars and/or sunBut the most accurate way is landscape features.The weight and wind speed is a big factor in how fast a bird can travel the distance. But if a bird goes to slow they might not reach their destination in time for the winter season, and if they go to fast they may run out of energy. The best speed for them to fly would be 20 mph.

MIGRATION PROCESS

• During the autumn season birds begin to migrate south for the winter, but when summer returns the come back to the north.• If a bird leaves any sooner there’s a high chance that

they won’t have enough stored fat to complete the rigorous journey. They need to have at least 2x their body weight of stored fat to reach the end of their migration route. The speed of the bird and how much the bird weighs contributes a lot to how a bird migrates.

DURING THE JOURNEY

• Migration will take about 6 weeks for the average bird to finish, so they will need rests along the way. A typical bird only needs to rest for a short time during the day to allow the time to feed on insects, this is taken when the bugs are the most active.

• Birds don’t always have to stop and rest to eat, small birds can snack on insects while they are in flight.

MISC

• While the study of bird migration patterns falls under the category of ethology, the main branch of science ethology is categorized in is biology.

• The well known scientist Aristotle was one of the first scientists to study birds; although his findings were less than accurate. It was once believed that swallows, a small breed of birds, didn’t migrate for the winter, but instead hibernated.

POTENTIAL PROBLEM?

• Poaching has been, and still is a big issue in the world, and knowing when and where birds migrate gives them a huge advantage, as well as a greater opportunity to poach birds.

• Due to poachers there are many species of birds that are an endangered species, or on the brink of being an endangered species.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE FUTURE OF BIRD MIGRATION IF POACHING CONTINUES?