How do birds determine their path when migrating between countries and continents?

Written By رنا السيلاوي on 2022/11/14

This article was written originally in Arabic and is translated using a 3rd party automated service. ArabiaWeather is not responsible for any grammatical errors whatsoever.

Arab weather - The migration of birds is one of the wonders of the natural world, and the wonders of God Almighty’s management of his creation, as nearly half of the bird species migrate every year, and some of them may travel thousands of miles to avoid the cold and harsh winter, so how do birds determine their path when traveling through these distances the vast

Why do birds migrate?

At least 4000 species of birds migrate regularly, and this represents about 40 percent of the total bird species in the world, as birds always seek warmer places and a place where food is available and is safe for the mating process, so we find that seasonal migration occurs primarily The first is in the north of the southern hemisphere, because in the southern hemisphere, especially in the tropics, it is always warm enough for the availability of nutrients, and the migration usually begins southward in early July and some do not migrate until the weather becomes too harsh or the food is not available,

You may also be interested in: Bird migration... What are their types, why and where do they migrate?

How do birds determine their path when migrating?

Migratory birds can cover thousands of miles on their annual flight, and somehow they can find their winter home, and return the following spring to the place where they were born.

Birds combine several different types of senses when navigating. Birds have amazing senses that help them navigate accurately in their own paths during migration. They have an exceptional sense of vision that allows them to identify visual landmarks when migrating over long distances. These landmarks include mountains, coasts and rivers, and they Its path is distinguished by the direction of the sun and stars. Birds can get compass information by sensing the Earth's magnetic field, and there is even evidence that the sense of smell plays a role, at least for homing pigeons.

At night, the stars and the moon aid in the navigation of nocturnal birds, as the night is free from the heat of the day, and the atmosphere is more stable, making it easy to maintain a steady path, especially for smaller birds such as warbles that may fly as slowly as 15 miles per the hour.

What are the flight paths of migratory birds?

There are 8 main flight paths for birds, and birds always take paths that avoid any obstacles that might get in their way, such as mountains.

Some species, especially waterfowl and geraniums, follow preferred paths in their annual migration, and these paths are often associated with important stopping-off sites that provide the food supplies necessary for bird survival. Young birds tend to migrate on broad fronts across the landscape. Studies using Bird data Many young birds take different routes in spring and fall to take advantage of seasonal patterns in weather and food.

Watch this amazing video that was captured while a flock of birds flew through their migration:

This article was written originally in Arabic and is translated using a 3rd party automated service. ArabiaWeather is not responsible for any grammatical errors whatsoever.


Browse on the official website



The UAE declares mourning and flags fly at half-mast over the death of Tahnoun bin MohammedConditions for bringing a wife into the EmiratesJordan | Active winds and strong gusts will stir up dust in desert areas tomorrow, FridayEmirates | The rain condition has begun to decline in large parts of the country, and the National Center of Meteorology lowers the alert levelSultanate of Oman/Update 2:00 pm: Rain has begun in neighborhoods of the capital, Muscat, and opportunities will continue in the coming hours.Sultanate of Oman | “Mwasalat” today suspends intercity bus service until further noticeSultanate of Oman | Due to the continuing effects of Akhud Al-Ikram, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology advises against going to the sea and engaging in marine activitiesSaudi Arabia | Large amounts of rain fell in Dhahran and the Sharqiya governorates yesterday (learn about them)Emirates | Dubai Airports: Canceling 13 flights and diverting 5 others due to bad weather conditions