Why do birds migrate?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Follow food sources seasonally
To find new mates — Wrong. Birds don't migrate to find mates—they typically breed in their summer grounds. Migration is primarily about following food sources and favorable conditions for raising young.
Follow food sources seasonally ✓ — Correct! Birds migrate primarily to follow seasonal food sources. In winter, insects and plants become scarce in cold regions. Birds fly to warmer areas with abundant food. Some Arctic birds even migrate to Antarctica, following summer and food! This journey requires enormous energy but ensures survival.
They don't like the cold weather — Wrong. Many birds actually love cold weather and don't migrate at all—penguins, snowy owls, and cardinals thrive in winter. Migration is driven by food scarcity, not temperature preferences.
More Animal Behavior questions
- A platypus lays eggs but feeds hatchlings milk without nipples. What makes that less contradictory?
- Male platypuses have venomous ankle spurs. Why are they probably not mainly prey-hunting tools?
- Platypuses have ~40,000 electroreceptors, but short-beaked echidnas have ~400. What best explains the drop?
- Why does a hunting platypus sweep its bill side to side instead of just pointing it forward?
- What can a platypus bill read from a shrimp's muscles rather than from water motion?
- When should you worry if a cat suddenly gets very clingy?