Read

Migration is a regular, large-scale movement of animals. In North America alone, more than 300 kinds of bird are long-distance migrants.

Birds that nest in the north fly there in spring to use a few months of plentiful insects and plants, lots of nesting space and long summer days for raising their young. Escaping the cold is not the main reason: many birds can survive freezing weather if they have enough food.

The main signal to leave is the change in day length. Before the journey, birds store energy as fat: a small songbird can be up to half fat just before its first big flight.

Experiment: Measure a migration

1. Find southern Canada and the mountains west of Mexico City on the globe. Mark both with a sticky note.
2. Lay the string along the shortest path between them on the globe. Mark the length on the string.
3. Measure the string with the ruler and use the globe's scale to turn it into kilometres.
4. Monarchs fly about 80 to 160 km a day. Work out the fewest and the most days the trip would take.
5. Repeat for a swallow flying from your country to South Africa, and for an Arctic tern from Greenland to Antarctica.
6. Compare your answers with other groups. Why are they not all the same?

Journey	Distance (km)	Speed (km per day)	Days
Monarch: Canada to Mexico (slow)
Monarch: Canada to Mexico (fast)
Swallow: here to South Africa
Arctic tern: Greenland to Antarctica

Questions

1. Give two reasons why birds fly north in spring.

2. How do birds get ready for a long migration?

3. Your monarch journey: distance ____ km. How many days at 80 km a day, and at 160 km a day?

4. Name three clues animals can use to find the way.

Sources for every fact on this sheet: echoesof.science/school/migration/sources/

🖨 Print this sheet ← back to the lesson