What warm land do birds fly to? Seasonal migrations of birds. Reasons for migration

For a long time, the first sign of the coming autumnthe cold weather was considered to be a truly beautiful sight, when birds, gathering in flocks, flew away to warm lands. Why do they leave us? And why with the onset of warm spring days, they certainly come back?

Migratory birds

Birds are warm-blooded creatures.Their body temperature is forty-one degrees. Because of this, they would feel great on frosty days. So why do migratory birds fly away? Birds cannot stay overwintering because in the cold seasons it is almost impossible for them to get food. Some fly away because of the cold weather. They migrate to warm countries to preserve most of the individuals.

For migratory birds, that is, those who in winterleaves our area and flies south, many species of birds. Among them are the wormfish and the swallow, the wagtail and the finch, the robin and the song thrush, the oriole and the redstart, the forest horse and the lark, and also the warbler-tenykovka.

When and how do birds fly away

At that moment, when birds leave our lands, the weather can influence. However, as a rule, it occurs at the same time. Autumn departure begins only when young birds become stronger.

Most birds gather in flocks. But there are those who fly in groups. Some species fly away one by one.

The cranes line up in a beautiful wedge in the sky.But the crows are usually placed in a chain. There are some species of birds, in which males fly away later than females. In some birds, the youngsters immediately leave the habitable area. Older individuals follow them after a while.

Birds try to move during the day and rest at night. In some species, the flight time is night.

Sedentary birds

Not all representatives leave the habitable areafeathered world. Some remain to spend the winter and delight us with their songs on frosty days. They live in their homeland all year, so they are called sedentary. The grouse does not leave the places. He eats pine needles and therefore in winter he does not have to look for food. Juniper berries eat grouse and black grouse. They, too, are not going to fly away in the fall. But is the jay a migratory bird or not? This species of feathered refers to sedentary. Jay eats plant and animal food. She loves acorns. With its beak, the bird easily splits the shell of these oak fruits. In the fall, jays harvest acorns in large quantities. One bird, according to some, makes stocks weighing up to four kilograms.

Woodpeckers and titmouses also belong to sedentary ones. But the crossbill even hatches chicks in winter. At the same time he eats seeds ate.

Wandering birds

Есть такие виды пернатых, которые перелают на another place, if for some reason unfavorable conditions have developed in their native locality. These are, as a rule, birds living in high mountains. With the onset of severe cold weather, they migrate to the valley.

The birds are amazing creatures. In some places they can live as sedentary, and in others they can be migratory.

Why do birds fly away

Our edges are the very first to leave the cuckoo. For them - swallows, and a little later - swifts. Starting from the end of August to September, several species change the climate to warmer.

What are the reasons for the migration of birds?Birds fly away with the onset of cold weather. However, the main reason for their migration is not in the change of season. The crucial factor is the lack of food. Thus, the cuckoo eats up to one hundred caterpillars in one hour, and during the cold weather the insects disappear. Most of them die, leaving a large stock of eggs from which offspring will spring. Some insects hide in secluded warm places.

The stork in summer feeds on small fish andfrogs. In winter, he is not able to get his food, which is under a crust of ice covering the reservoirs. Birds that cannot get food will fly south. There they have no problems with food.

Annual cycle of birds

The life of birds, as well as other animals, in the greater territory of our planet takes place under conditions of changing seasons. The only exceptions are areas where tropical forests are located.

The annual cycle of birds consists of four main stages. The first of these is the breeding season. Then there is a molt, seasonal migrations of birds. The last stage is wintering.

As for seasonal migrations, they are in birdsare not continuous period. Flights are spring and autumn. However, they are separated from each other during the wintering stage. Spring migration of birds can be considered as a phenomenon, which is partially attributed to the preparation for the breeding stage. Autumn flights are a search for food to preserve the species.

Migration routes

Куда птицы улетают осенью?Scientists and ornithologists were able to answer this question in detail. Ringing migratory individuals, they established wintering sites for various species. What warm land do birds fly to? The suitability of a region for wintering determines, of course, its ecological situation. However, birds do not always fly to places that are located close to their nesting and have favorable conditions. To a greater extent, competition with other populations of a similar species, which tend to occupy the most convenient wintering areas, plays a role here. For example, birds arriving from areas to the north may be located in more southern latitudes.

From Europe, birds can fly not only in the southdirection. They arrange winterings in the west. Many Northern European and Central European birds are sheltered by England. This country has for birds favorable climatic conditions, which are characterized by small snowfalls and mild winters. Chibises and sparrows, woodcocks and other birds fly to England in the fall. However, a greater number of birds attracts the Mediterranean and south-western Europe.

Wintering locations

В какие теплые края улетают птицы?A large flock of birds is observed in winter in the Nile Valley. Some Arctic and Siberian birds fly to the African wintering grounds. Their numerous flocks are also located in southern China, in India, on the islands of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Quails and waterfowl fly to the Northern regions of Africa and Western Europe. The path of some species of birds to the wintering areas is very far. So, Icelandic sandboxes and East Siberian anemone reach the shores of New Zealand.

Answer the question of where the birds fly toWinter, help research scientists ornithologists. So, ringing birds, they found that our thrushes and starlings rest in the south of France and in Portugal. They are based in Spain and Italy. Ducks and cranes love to travel to the banks of the Nile. Hoops and nightingales winter in the African savannah.

Some species of waterfowl do not leavethe territory of Russia. In cold seasons, they settle in reserves located in the Southern Caspian. Kryakovs ducks can be found in the winter in the Caucasus. They rest on the Azov and Black Seas.

What warm lands do the birds living onNorth American continent? Here, their migration due to the influence of the Gulf Stream is only in the southern direction. Thus, Arctic terns that live in the north of America settle for the winter in the south of the continent. Sometimes these birds migrate to African countries. They also fall into the Antarctic.

What are the places for wintering birds choose?

As a rule, birds settle wherehabitat is similar to the one in which they live in their homeland. If for their nesting birds choose forests, then they will look for precisely such zones in areas with a warm climate. Birds living in the conditions of steppes, meadows or fields will look for habitual conditions for settlement. This will allow you to find the usual food for them. Thus, the birds fly away to those regions, in which the living conditions differ little from the usual.

Дорогу к местам зимовок они находят благодаря superbly developed navigation system. For some birds, major landmarks are the mountains, sea coasts and so on. There are species that calmly intersect the water surface of the ocean that does not differ in diversity.

Those bird species that fly during the day are guided by the sun. Those birds that travel in the dark rely only on their own navigation system.

The winter chill will recede, and the birds that have flown away to warm countries will return home again. They will inform about the arrival of spring fervent trills and will prepare for the next stage of their life.

Now you know how warm the birds fly to. Good luck to you in the further study of birds!