Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory Office of Science NEWTON's Homepage NEWTON's Homepage
NEWTON, Ask A Scientist!
NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Bird Migration Dangers 
Name: Jenni W.
Status: student
Age: 8
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 2001
Question:
What are the dangers of bird migration? Meaning, when birds migrate over seas or over land, what are the dangers of doing it (migration) they might get lost of some thing?

Replies:
Jenni:

Birds face many dangers during migration, land birds being blown out over sea is just one. Exhausted small land birds like warblers have landed on ships far out on the ocean, many others must drown without finding a refuge. Storms often blow both land and oceanic migrants far off course, and if they cannot find a resting place and food and get back on track they will not make it. Migration takes a tremendous amount of energy and smaller birds especially must "refuel" regularly to survive. When the birds are tired and hungry they are more likely to be caught by predators.

I do not think birds would normally get lost, except when they are blown off course by storms. How they navigate accurately is not really well known, but they are very good at it.

J. Elliott

Click here to return to the Zoology Archives

NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.

For assistance with NEWTON contact a System Operator (help@newton.dep.anl.gov), or at Argonne's Educational Programs

NEWTON AND ASK A SCIENTIST
Educational Programs
Building 360
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne, Illinois
60439-4845, USA
Update: June 2012
Weclome To Newton

Argonne National Laboratory