Bird migration: definition and importance for the environment

Some groups of animals have unique characteristics, which differentiate them from other species. One of these characteristics is the migration, a phenomenon carried out by different groups of animals, such as some insects or some fish, although without a doubt the most special and famous migration is that of birds. Therefore, in this lesson from a PROFESSOR we are going to offer you a definition of bird migration and its importance to the environment.

Index

1. What is bird migration and its causes
2. Types of migratory birds
3. The importance of bird migration for the planet

The migration of birds are those seasonal travel performed by a large number of birds in their search for a new habitat, more apt to survive than where they are. These migrations should not be confused with other irregular movements made by birds to search for food, such as nomadism.

All migrating birds are called

Causes of bird migration

Migration is carried out by a series of causes of different kinds, which cause these animals to need to leave in search of a new habitat. Some of these Causes are as follows:

• Weather conditions: The change of climate in a region is one of the main causes of migration, causing the birds to be forced to go to a destination with a better climate.
• Food: The weather can cause food shortages, freezing the water where the birds drink, or snowing on the land where they look for food, causing the birds not to have all the necessary food.
• Day length change: Birds are able to notice when days change their length, serving as a cause to migrate to another area.

Image: Slideshare

Bird migrations can be of different types, depending on the type of bird we are talking about, or the area where they live. There are several ways to classify the types of migratory birds, or types of migrations, one type being the following:

• Long distance migrations: They are the best known migrations, those made by birds from the north to the tropics when the climate changes. Some examples of birds that carry out these long migrations are the swallows and some kinds of birds of prey.
• Short distance migrations: The species that migrate in shorter distances do so due to the climatic problems they suffer. These migrations are not due to a genetic response, but are small movements to flee to nearby areas, with better food or where reproduction is easier. Some examples are common finches or the blackbirds.

Types of migration in the Iberian Peninsula

This type of division is the most general, but there are much more specific divisions, such as those that differentiate the different classes of migrations from the Iberian Peninsula, in this case being the following lessons:

• Sedentary: They are those birds that are kept in the Peninsula throughout the year, making only small trips within it. An example are the house sparrows.
• Winters: They are the ones that come to the Peninsula from northern Europe, looking for a warmer climate. An example are the common cranes.
• Summer: They are the birds that flee from Africa during the summer, coming to the Peninsula to begin to reproduce. An example are the common swallows.
• Birds of passage: Those species that remain passing through the Peninsula, such as the musical mosquito net.

Image: SlidePlayer

To conclude with this lesson on the definition and importance for the environment of bird migration, we must talk about the relationship that exists between the migration of birds and our environment, being an influence little known but very important.

Some of the benefits that bird migration has for the environment are the following:

• The birds they feed on insects, so its presence is vital to regulate the number of these animals, being essential for ecosystems.
• They function as messengers in some kinds of plant reproductions, assisting in the pollinationand distribution of the seeds.
• The variation of migratory movements can mark a change in the climate of the area, and indicate the health of ecosystems.
• They are able to give fertilizers, improving the land they pass through.
• The change of their movement, the variation of their number or that they vary their migration time are ways of seeing how climate change is progressing.

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