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Lsc-Cyfair: Bird Migration
Lsc-Cyfair: Bird Migration
Bird Migration
Tim Sebesta
Dept. Chair of Exercise and Military Sciences
Professor of Kinesiology
LSC-CyFair
Common Winter Birds in Houston Backyard
Orange-Crowned
American Goldfinch Cedar Waxwing Dark-Eyed Junco Warbler
Migration Fun Facts
• The arctic tern flies a round trip that can be as long as 20,000 miles per
year, from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back. The sandhill and whooping
cranes are both capable of migrating as far as 2,500 miles per year, and the
barn swallow more than 6,000 miles.
• How do they keep going? Some birds store a special, high-energy fat
before the trip. Soaring raptors, for example, may not eat for several weeks
as they migrate. Other species eat along their migration routes.
• How high can they fly? Higher than Mt. Everest. Bar-headed geese have
been recorded flying across the Himalayas at 29,000 feet. Other species
seen above 20,000 feet include the whooper swan, the bar-tailed godwit,
and the mallard duck.
(Note: birds fly this high to reach their destinations efficiently. From radar
studies, scientists know that birds can change altitudes to find the best wind
conditions. To fight a headwind, most birds stay low, where ridges, trees and
buildings slow the wind. To ride a tailwind, they get up high where the wind is
as fast as possible.)
Migration Facts
Of the 852 bird species in the United
States:
• 778 are migratory
• 300 species migrate to Latin America
• 19 species of shorebirds migrate 8,000 miles
1 way
• 34 species of wood warblers and 22 of the 29
species of waterfowl are shared between
U.S., Canada, Mexico
Migration Flyways
• The major wintering areas for North
American migrating birds are the southern
United States and Central America.
• Four major flyways south: the Atlantic
flyway, the Mississippi flyway, the Central
flyway, and the Pacific flyway.
How Did Bird Migration Routes Become
Established?
Western
Sandpiper
Why Do Birds Migrate?
• Behavior is inherited; however, birds will not migrate in the
absence of certain physiological and environmental cues.
In the late summer, the decrease in sunlight stimulates a
migrating bird's pituitary gland to produce the hormone
prolactin and its adrenal gland to produce the hormone
corticosterone. These hormones, in turn, cause the birds to
accumulate large amounts of fat just under the skin,
providing them with enough energy for the long migratory
flights. The hormones also cause the birds to become
restless just prior to migration. The exact time of departure,
however, is dictated not only by the decreasing sunlight
and hormonal changes, but also by such conditions as the
availability of food and the onset of cold weather.
When And How And Do Birds Migrate?
Environment and Physiology Trigger Bird Migration
• Millions of migratory birds move from a warm winter range to a summer breeding range each
year. Some are so predictable that their arrival in the summer range can be forecast almost to
the day. We know when to expect them from long experience, but how do birds know when it's
time to migrate?
Males Go First
• For some species, it's important for males to get a head start in spring in order to claim
good territory in the breeding range and be ready to attract good mates when females
arrive. Departing males can either delay migration of the rest if they encounter bad
conditions and return, or trigger an exodus if they leave and don't come back.
When And How And Do Birds Migrate?
• Birds tend to commence migration in large numbers only when they have a
favourable tail wind. In North America the winds north in spring and south
in autumn are ideal to assist seasonal migrations. Once started however
only very bad weather will stop them. Many birds fly high when migrating
because of prevailing winds at higher altitudes and also because the cold
at these altitudes helps them disperse all the heat being generated by their
flight muscles.
• Not all birds from a summer breeding site overwinter at the same area.
What happens, come autumn, if a male bird meets a female bird in the
breeding grounds who has a different overwintering site? Whose site do
they go to now they are a pair? In many species the pair bond breaks up at
the end of the breeding season, but some like swans mate for life. In the
case of the Bewick's Swan the male decides where to fly to for the winter
and the female follows him. However, the female decides when it is time to
travel back to the tundra for another year's breeding.
• The reverse scenario is when birds with different breeding sites overwinter
in the same area; if pairing commences on the overwintering ground,
whose breeding ground to they return to. The answer may be different for
different species.
Bewick s Swan
When And How And Do Birds Migrate?
• Timing of migration is a mix of internal stimulus which results in a
feeding binge to put on fat to survive the journey and then the
tendency to aggregate into flocks. Once the pre-migration flock is
gathered, the feeding continues while the birds wait for suitable
weather conditions. Thus while the birds' internal clock probably
releases the hormonal triggers at a fairly accurate date each year, the
availability of food and the presiding weather conditions decide when
the migration starts and hence when we see the first spring migrants
arrive and the last autumn ones leave.
• A 12-year study of Common Terns at Cape Cod showed that an
average 75% of birds, and as much as 83%, returned to the same
area to nest in successive years. Eighty percent nested within 25 feet
of the original nest site. Another study of Layson Albatrosses showed
that in the following year a nest was on average only 13 inches away
from the previous nest.
When And How And Do Birds Migrate?
• Migratory routes are not fixed eternally and in some species part of the
population follows one route and part another. Also, some birds travel south by a
different route to that which they use to travel north, e.g. Golden Plover.
• Some migrants fly very long distances. Some arctic terns fly 11,000 miles each
way. Other birds fly lesser distances. Blackpolls from Hudson Bay overwinter in
Venezuela, 5,000 miles each way and Golden Plovers fly 2400 miles each way
in the USA.
• Speed - birds often fly faster when on a migratory flight then they do during
ordinary flight. Thus distances of 200 to 400 miles a day are commonplace
among long distance migrants. Some birds, however, migrate more slowly, e.g.
Robins coming up the Gulf coast average 13 miles a day.
• Most flights occur at between 600 and 5,000 ft above sea level with an average
height of 1525 ft a.s.l. However, mountains may mean greater heights are
needed and heights over 10,000 ft a.s.l. are not uncommon.
Golden Plover
How Do Birds Migrate Such Long Distances?
• Birds exploit the winds to their favour so they can go the distance by
burning minimal fuel. They may shift altitude to find the best wind
"conveyor belt". Winds at high altitude may blow in the opposite
direction from wind on the ground, and usually are blowing strongly.
Larger birds rely on thermals (hot air) rising from the ground in the
mornings to gain altitude by simply soaring. These birds usually
migrate during the day. They may also follow strong updrafts along
ridges.
• A few birds fly non-stop, some for several days, covering enormous
distances. But most birds break journey at staging posts. A vital
aspect of being able to make such long trips is to lay down enough fat
reserves.
• Preparing for the journey: Besides laying down fat reserves, migrating
birds also need to eat a lot to fuel their regular feather molts. Their
feathers must be in tip-top condition for their long trips. Different
species molt at different times; for most shorebirds it is just after
breeding and before the migration to wintering grounds.
How Do Migrating Birds Find Their Way?
• http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/
Coffee/Bird_Friendly/birdlist.cfm
Eliminate The Poisons In Your Yard
• Yet, we assume that the lawn and garden chemicals found on the shelves at hardware
stores are safe to use around birds (and people.) Take a close look at the labels. Too many
popular pesticides are lethal to birds. And while many pesticides may not kill birds on
contact, they can contaminate bird food (insects) and water.
• What are the alternatives? Mechanical and biological techniques for pest control provide
less hazardous options.
• Website http://www.audubon.org/bird/pesticides/#Insecticides
http://www.texasbirding.net/maps/wharris.htm
Sources Of Information About Migratory Birds
TEXAS
Parks & Wildlife, 4200 Smith School Rd.,
Austin 78744