Bird migration

• Types

1. Daily/local
2. Seasonal
3. Cyclic
4. Latitudinal
5. Altitudinal
6. Longitudinal
Daily/Local Migration
• Many birds make daily movements from their nest in response
to environmental force such as light, darkness ,temperature,
humidity and food availability.
• Birds may make daily migrations from their resting sites to
feeding areas.
• For example: a house sparrow does not undertake long
migration ,but it moves out everyday from its permanent
colony for feeding.
Sparrow
Seasonal Migration
• Some birds migrates at different seasons of the year for food
or breeding, called seasonal migration
• e.g., cuckoos, swifts, swallows etc.
• They migrate from the south to the north during summer.
These birds are called summer visitors.
• Again there are some birds like snow bunting, red wing, shore
lark, grey plover etc.
• which migrate from north to south during winter. They are
called winter visitors.
 Swallow

Cuckoo
Red wing Snow bunting
Cyclic Migration
• Some migration of birds are seasonal but do not occur at
regular intervals .
• The cyclic migration of the snowy owl in united states in
winter occurs in three to five years.
Latitudinal Migration

• It is the migration from north to south or south to north.

• It is the most common migration birds undertake ,birds
migrate from north to south in the fall and in the opposite
direction the following spring.
• Example: The American golden plover escapes winter of
America by migrating to Argentina.
• Similarly Siberian birds to go to Himalayas.
 American golden plover

Siberian birds
Altitudinal/ Vertical Migration
• The altitudinal migration occurs in mountainous regions.
• Many birds inhabiting the mountain peaks migrate to low
lands during winter.
• Golden plover starts from Arctic tundra and goes up to the
plains of Argentina covering a distance of 11 250 km .
• Swallows and storks migrate a distance of 9650 km from
northern Europe to South Africa.
• Siberian birds travels to Great Britain, Africa, India and Ceylon
thus travelling a distance of 9650 kilometers
Longitudinal Migration

• Movements of birds from east to west or vice versa is known

as longitudinal migration.
• E.g. evening grossbeaks ,􏰀 California gull
• 􏰀 Starling move from east Europe or Asia to Atlantic coast.
Seagull

Starling

Evening grossbeaks
Causes of bird migration
• Home work
Factors affecting bird migration
• Home work