Many species of birds migrate thousands of kilometers every year. Migration is
driven mostly by weather and the availability of food.
In the springtime, birds migrate to temperate regions, where food is plentiful and birds may safely create nests. In autumn, birds migrate to warmer latitudes, following their food sources and more comfortable weather patterns. In the Northern Hemisphere, birds generally fly south for the winter. In the Southern Hemisphere, they generally fly north for the winter.
The flight paths used by birds in their annual migrations are called flyways. Many researches said that birds were flied by using their neurological function with the help of surrounding sounds.
Scientists are not entirely sure how birds navigate their flyways. They seem to have an internal global positioning system (GPS) that allows them to follow the same pattern every year. A young bird imprints on the sun and stars to help orient it. Some researchers think a bird may also recognize landmarks.
Individual organs also contribute to a bird’s remarkable navigational ability. A bird’s eyes interact with its brain in a region called “cluster N”, which probably helps the bird determine which way is north. Tiny amounts of iron in the neurons of a bird’s inner ear also help in this determination.
Most surprisingly, a bird’s beak helps contribute to its navigational ability. The beak helps birds determine their exact position. Some researchers think a bird can smell its way across a flyway. This “olfactory map” would orient a bird to terrain and topography. The trigeminal nerve, which connects a bird’s beak to its brain, may also help a bird assess its exact location. Researchers think the trigeminal nerve may help birds evaluate the strength of the Earth’s magnetic field, which is stronger at the poles and weaker at the Equator.
Think about the way a bird’s physiology contributes to its ability to navigate