Why do birds migrate?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Follow food sources seasonally
To find new mates — Wrong. Birds don't migrate to find mates—they typically breed in their summer grounds. Migration is primarily about following food sources and favorable conditions for raising young.
Follow food sources seasonally ✓ — Correct! Birds migrate primarily to follow seasonal food sources. In winter, insects and plants become scarce in cold regions. Birds fly to warmer areas with abundant food. Some Arctic birds even migrate to Antarctica, following summer and food! This journey requires enormous energy but ensures survival.
They don't like the cold weather — Wrong. Many birds actually love cold weather and don't migrate at all—penguins, snowy owls, and cardinals thrive in winter. Migration is driven by food scarcity, not temperature preferences.
More Animal Behavior questions
- Why can the same soft barn-owl feathers that mute flight make rainy hunting worse?
- Why is silent flight useful even if a mouse never hears the owl coming?
- Besides ordinary airflow noise, what sound can the velvety surface on owl flight feathers help reduce?
- At high wing angles, why can the comb-like feathers on an owl's leading edge make airflow quieter?
- What lets a barn owl glide slowly and quietly, apart from its fringed, velvety feathers?
- Male platypuses have venomous ankle spurs. Why are they probably not mainly prey-hunting tools?