Migration by Melissa Mayntz

Author:Melissa Mayntz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quadrille Publishing Ltd
Published: 2020-03-11T00:00:00+00:00

DAYTIME OR NIGHTTIME – WHICH IS BEST FOR MIGRATION?

Which techniques birds use to navigate during migration can largely depend on whether they migrate by day or night. Star maps, for example, aren’t as useful to birds that migrate during daylight hours, while visual geographic maps don’t help so much at night when landform details can’t be seen as accurately. How birds fly and what foods they eat also influence what times are best for them to travel.

Night migration offers birds several benefits, including the ability to avoid night-hunting predators on the ground, as well as raptors that hunt during the day, when warmer air makes raptor migration easier. What’s more, cooler night air is less turbulent, allowing small birds to fly more smoothly while expending less energy, helping them go further on the same amount of fuel. Birds that migrate during the day, on the other hand, can take advantage of warmer air currents such as thermals, which allow birds to more easily migrate over mountains. Birds that forage for insects in flight, such as swallows and swifts, also migrate during daylight hours when insects are active and the birds can feed as they fly.

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