MIGRATION IN BIRDS

Bird

migrationis the regular seasonal movement, often north and

south along betweenbreedingandwintering grounds.

Thewordmigrationcomes

means"to change.

from the Latin word,migratus which

Migration

is the movement of an animal from one region, or habitat, to

another. This happens at regular periods of time, and during a particular
season. Birds migrate twice a year, once in spring and again in fall.

Animals

migrate in order to breed, grow, find food or avoid cold weather.

Migration

is movement from one habitat to another to get advantage of

favourable conditions , it is traditional, instinctive and of regular
occurance at regular intervals every year .

There are 4 kinds ofmigratingbirds:

Permanent

residentsare non-migrating birds who remain

in their home area all year round.

Summer

residentsare migratory birds that move north in

the spring, nest during the summer, and return south in the
fall.

Winter

winter.

residentsare migratory birds who fly south for the

Transientsare

migratory species who nest farther north

but who winter farther south. We only see transients as
they are passing through and have a stop over (birds of
passage) Ex: Cormorants.

Usually birds migrate to the Northern

hemisphere in spring to breed and
return to Southern hemisphere in
autumn to pass winter.
Thus, birds migrate to secure optimum
conditions for breeding and feeding,
utilizing trophic niches of both the
hemispheres .

Of around 8000 species of birds half are

migratory . Birds are best adapted for
migration because they can fly long
distances ,seas ,mountains etc are not
obstacles and they can maintain their
body temperature

Types of Bird Migration

I Altitudinal / Vertical Migration

Thisis a short-distancemigrationfrom lower
altitudes to higher altitudes and back.It is commonly
thought to happen in response to climate and food
availability
These migrations can occur both during reproductive
and non-reproductive seasons.
Birds living at high altitude descend to lower valleys
in winter to escape intense cold ,they return again to
higher altitude with advent of summer. Ex: Grebes and
coots of Andes in Argentina ,willows in Siberia &
Himalayan white caped redstart

Grebes

Coots

Himalayan white caped redstart

II Latitudinal / Equatorial Migration

North

to South or South to north migration

Most common migration
5000 million or more birds fly 3200 km south to
grassland, forests & lakes of central/southern Africa ,
Asia. Ex. Shore bird Arctic tern fly 17,600km.
American Golden plover to Argentina
Siberian bird to Himalayas
Birds

fly from north to south or vice-versa, linking the

equatorial regions of each hemisphere with its
temperate and cold areas. Latitudinal migration can be
seen in several birds e.g. Golden plover of America
which spends nine months of winter, 8000 miles south
in Argentina

Arctic
Tern

Migration route of Arctic Tern

American Golden Plover

Migration route of American

Golden Plover

III Longitudinal Migration

Similar to latitudinal migration, this type of
movement is a change between different longitudes
from east to west or west to east. This is a common
type of migration in Europe, where geographic
features encourage birds to move longitudinally
rather than latitudinally.
This migration takes place in East-West direction or
vice versa Ex Evening gross beak that nest in
northern Michigan (U.S.A) spend the winter in New
England.
Starlings move from East Europe or Asia to the
Atlantic coast

Migratory flock of starlings

European Starling

IV Daily Migration
Many birds make daily movements from their
nesting/breeding site to feeding area. The
movement maybe in response to environmental
forces like light, darkness, temperature,
humidity, food availability Ex crow, sparrow etc
V Local Migration
Heavy flood, excess heat or cold flowering of
certain plants, ripening of seeds etc force birds
to leave the area for some time, they then
return to their nesting sites

VI Cyclic Migration
Some migrations are seasonal ,do not occur at
regular intervals Ex Snowy Owl of USA migrates
once in 3-5 years
VII Moult Migration
Males and juvenile Ducks migrate short distances
for moulting ,leaving behind females and young birds
VIII Vagrant / Irregular Migration
After breeding the adult and the young stray
away from home to disperse in all direction over
many miles in search of food and safety Ex Great
blue heron, cuckoos , thrushes.

Cuckoos

Great blue heron

Thrushes

IX Partial Migration
In some cases all the birds of a flock
of migratory birds do not leave the
native land ,some birds stay on at the
breeding place Ex May blue jays of
USA and Canada

X Nocturnal Migration
Smaller birds fly by night ,feed and rest
during the day .They get protection
from their enemies in the dark while
flying Ex Sparrows, thrushes , warblers

Sparrow

Thrushes

Warblers

XI Diurnal Migration
Large birds are day fliers .They stop for
feeding at suitable places
Ex Pelicans, swifts, hawks, pigeon
Some birds fly both day and night while
migrating Ex Geese, ducks

Pelican

Swift

Hawk

Causes of migration
Seasonal

Food Scarcity
Avoiding Predators
Breeding Conditions
Certain species of birds may migrate to areas
that have the best environment for breeding. For
example, some birds migrate north to the Arctic
in the summer to breed when food is plentiful
and the daylight hours are abundant. These
conditions are ideal for breeding, as birds can
maintain high energy levels and avoid predators
who will have died out in the harsh winter

Internal

factors due to physiological

changes in the gonads and reproductive
hormones which occur with change in the
season
Photo periodism, length of day affects
pituitary and pineal body in the brain
which in turn prepares birds for migration
by initiating restlessness
Fat deposition Substantial sub-cutaneous
and visceral fat deposition causes
migratory restlessness

Theories to explain bird migration

Northern ancestral home theory :According to
this theory the original home of birds was in the
Northern hemisphere. During Pleistocene period
glaciation took place in north forcing the birds
to migrate to south pole to protect themselves
from intense cold. When glaciation receded the
birds returned to their original home .By
constant repetition of this movement generation
after generation ,birds developed migratory
insinct.
This theory is not accepted

Southern ancestral home theory :

According to this theory the ancestral
home of birds was in the South pole
(tropics).When there was over -crowding
in this region some birds migrated to
the north pole and returned to south as
soon as nesting was over
This theory is not accepted

Continental drift theory

North and South continuous land mass
was seperated by continental drift
causing seperation of birds ,the birds
still migrate to their original homes.
This theory is not accepted

Hypothesis of periodic response

It is understood that tropical birds inhabited colder northern
part where plenty of food available.But they had to fly
southward when cold increased and food became scarce.
(Woodburry )
Length of the day is important factor which acts as a stimulus
for migration .Increasing daylight stimulated gonadial
activity ,this acts as a stimulus for migration by releasing
gonado trophic hormones by hypothalamus/pituitary gland
Increased day length causes northward migration and
decreased day length southward migration .
No single factor is the cause for migration. Various external
and internal factors is the guiding factor for migration

Bird ringingorbird banding

is the attachment of small, individually
numbered metal or plastic tag to the leg or wing
of a wildbirdto enable individual identification.
This helps in keeping track of the movements of
the bird and their life history. It is common to
take measurementsand examine condition of ,
subcutaneous fat, age indications , sex and
location during capture for ringing. The
subsequent recapture or recovery of the bird can
provide information onmigration, longevity,
mortality, population studies,territoriality,
feeding behaviour, and other aspects that are
studied byornithologists.

Bird banding

Radio collaring technique

When a bird cannot be followed visually, it may be
equipped with a miniature radio-transmitter weighing
about 2-3grams,which is stuck with an adhesive to
the skin or inserted under the skin at the back of the
bird between the wings or hung around the neck.
The transmitter is then monitored by a receiver and
the movement of the bird is plotted on a map. The
transmitter carried by the bird sends signals which
maybe located by means of stationary direction
finding aerials or by vehicles and aeroplanes. Even
satellites and GPS is used for tracking.

Credits
Wikipedia
Chordate Zoology by Jordan& P.S.Verma (edition

-2004)