Amazing Migration Facts
We all know many birds migrate in the spring and fall – 4 billion birds are headed south over the United States this season.
Some interesting facts about migration include:
- Only 2.6 billion return in the spring; the fall migration is larger because young birds born during the summer fly south with their parents.
- Some birds, such as Canada geese, migrate during the day and need visual cues to fly in their well-known V formation.
- Birds like Broad-winged hawks use thermals to help propel them on their migration south.
- Other birds, such as some species of hawks and falcons, use thermal updrafts to convey them on their way, saving valuable energy by coasting over much of their journey.
As Tom Murray notes, birds have adapted unique strategies to conserve energy during migration, such as
sleep-flyingand fattening up to burn 150,000 calories per day.
Author's summary: Birds migrate using unique strategies to conserve energy.