People say this: "September collects birds on the road." And it’s not for nothing that they say it! Before the onset of cold weather, in many regions of Russia, some species of birds leave them. In this article, we will talk about which birds fly to warm places in the fall and why, in fact, they do.
Golden autumn. Who is flying and where?
Watching migratory birds in the autumn season is quite interesting. For wintering, cranes, ducks, blackbirds and swallows usually fly to warmer climes. And among them there is a kind of priority. For example, swifts were the first to leave their native lands, and ducks were the last to leave.
Already in September, cranes begin to gather in their flocks. So they prepare for a long journey. These beauties say goodbye to us until spring with their beautiful guttural scream, which spreads so far in this clean autumn air that you are simply amazed!
In early October, geese set off on a long journey. There is a saying about them: "Geese on their tail drag winter-winter, and snow-snow on their nose."
Swallows fly to the Mediterranean coast for the winter. The most desperate of them generally fly directly to Africa!
What birds do you think fly away in the warm lands one by one? Right! These are kites, kingfishers, hawks, falcons and cuckoos. However, most migratory birds still leave their homelands in packs. For example, ducks generally line up in an oblique row, and geese and cranes fly in a wedge.
What will be the fall?
From which birds fly off to the warm lands in the fall, one can predict what it will actually be! Consider this sign on the example of all the same cranes.
- If you see a leisurely and measured crane flight, autumn promises to be warm.
- A quick and hasty departure - to an early and very cold autumn!
Why do birds fly south in the fall?
It would seem that the answer to this question is simpler than ever. But there it was, friends! Birds leave their native land not only because of the coming cold weather! After all, if this were so, then why are sparrows and pigeons, as well as crows and titmouse, wintering next to a man Is their plumage more dense than that of handsome cranes? Of course not! It's not about the cold, but about nutrition!
Evolution ordered that sparrows and pigeons adapted to find food in garbage bins, garbage dumps and landfills. Neither winter nor autumn is terrible for these "winter" birds! Birds fly away (photo 1), which feed only on fish, insects and their larvae. After all, to stay in the former lands for the winter is similar to death for them. Until spring there will be no insects and fish (water bodies are covered with ice). So poor migratory birds have to travel from one end of the globe to the other, for thousands of kilometers!
Long journey
So, now we, friends, know what birds fly to warm places in the fall and, most importantly, what makes them do it! In addition, they spend as much energy on their long flight as people do on a long trip. Many of us get tired after just a few kilometers, and birds generally have to cover a distance of two thousand kilometers without any stop! This is a real heroic act!