How Do Bird Flocks Know When to Migrate?

Since animals do not have an alarm system like ours that tells them when they will leave, how do birds migrate to long distances and hot regions during the change of season and when saying goodbye to summer? calendar system can they have?

While this is actually a fascinating example of nature, survival of birds and part of their reproductive strategies. Birds that migrate to different regions to survive owe it to their biological elements to move at the same time every year, as if they had chronometers.

Birds’ ability to migrate is one of nature’s most impressive examples of adaptation.

This complex process skillfully combines environmental factors as well as the birds’ internal biological clock. with perfect timing towards a specific route in the sky It allows them to move.

biological clocks, It makes birds naturally follow an internal time calendar. Birds, which can perceive daily light changes, follow the seasons and begin to migrate at the appropriate time.

This is kind of It is an instinctive mechanism. Actually. A mechanism that allows birds to navigate in harmony with the general rhythm of nature while relying only on their own internal clocks.

At the end of the day, we all understand that the Sun has set and it is night.

As humans, we can biologically sense this by yawning or getting tired when it is time to sleep. This situation means we need to rest. have an internal clock stems from the fact.

Just as we have such an awareness biologically and experience it every day, we have a similar awareness for birds. They have an internal clock We can say. Among the signs of this hour there is an important clue in determining the time of migration.

According to experts, one of the biggest clues in determining when birds migrate is changes in the amount of daylight.

northern hemisphere With the arrival of autumn, there is a decrease in daylight. Considering the shortening of the day we are experiencing these days, birds are currently spreading their wings towards the south. This situation also occurs in birds with this awareness.immigration unrestIt is called “.

These changes are called photoperiod and are an extremely important signal for birds.

As the days get shorter or longer, Some changes occur in the biochemistry and physiology of birds. The link between day length and migration is known to have deep roots in the evolutionary history of many animals.

So although birds may have inherited the tendency to migrate from their ancestors, they don’t fully understand why they behave the way they do; It’s just an instinctive behavior and they think they should.

Bird species affected by photoperiod are called obligate migrants.

These birds; They begin their movements before weather conditions become difficult and food supplies run out. Behaviors they develop instinctively; It also makes situations such as the distance, timing and return of migration more predictable.

It is also wrong to make a definitive judgment like all birds migrate. Because some birds They only migrate voluntarily when they need to survive.

These birds manage their migration practices depending on environmental factors. When weather conditions become difficult or food supplies begin to dwindle, They begin to fly south.

There are also birds that do not migrate arbitrarily.

The migration of these birds is based on their ability to evaluate environmental factors. Forced migratory bird species affected by photoperiodthey tend to migrate before weather conditions become difficult, making their migrations very predictable.

So at the end of summer The herds we see in the sky are among the forced migrants..

As we have seen, when birds decide to migrate, the rhythm of the biological clock, signals and variables from the environment They establish a magnificent balance between

This complex harmony means that birds fly in the sky with perfect timing. towards a specific route While allowing them to move forward, wonderful images emerge.

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