A great many bird species are migratory. Despite dangers from storms and drought and the constant attacks of men,millions of birds make twice-yearly journeys that cross continents and oceans.
In summer on the continental land masses of the northern hemisphere, there is an abundance of insect food and long hours of daylight for hunting it,vitally important when some young birds eat many times their own weight.Millions of birds are therefore in the northern hemisphere for summer breeding.
In winter,they migrate south, having stored up energy for the journey in the form of fat.Some species stay on the wing for up to 120hours at a time.Most birds migrate at heights below 6,500 metres. Experiments have shown that birds use both sun and stars for navigation.
Why do birds have different shape of beaks
A birds beak tells us what kind of environment it lives in and what is inside its stomach. Birds from shallow streams or swamps have long delicate beaks for probing in mub and shingle. Other aquatic birds have spoon-shaped beaks for grovelling in muddy water.
Swans and flamingos have long necks for exploring deeper water. Seabirds like the albatross have tweezer like beaks for catching slippery fish. Pelicans plunge their beaks into water and scoop up their catch in a pouched lower part.
Carnivorous bird like eagles and vultures,have hooked upper beaks,ideal for hooking onto and tearing pieces off their prey.
Toucans' beaks have serrated edges for cracking open nuts and the crossbills lower jaw moves sideways to enable it to extract seeds from pinecones. All living things need food and evolution has ensured that birds are well equipped to get their share.
THE ARCTIC TERN
An Arctic tern spends most of its life in daylight, although it has to travel about 22,000 miles in a year in order to do so. This species has a short breeding season in places like north Greenland within the Arctic Circle, where the long hours of summer daylight give it ample time to feed on the abundant supply of fish. Then, the Arctic terns take one of two routes south, either passing down the east coast if North and south America or down the west coasts of Europe and Africa. They winter in the waters below south Africa around the Antarctic circle. Arctic terns probably see more daylight than any other living animal.
THE HUMMINGBIRDS
The supreme artists in the bird world are Hummingbirds. They can hover like helicopters,move straight up,down or sideways and they can fly backwards because their movements are too rapid for the eye to follow. It was long believed that their backward flight was an optical illusion. It was not until they were filmed with an incredibly fast, stroboscopic camera that it was proved beyond doubt that hummingbirds can fly backwards. They beat their wings faster that any other bird and the name 'hummingbird' comes from the noise made by their wings as they vibrate at 200 beats per second. One species, the broad tailed hummingbird actually takes flight before it leaves its perch. The camera shows that it pulls its perch up with its feet before it let's go.
Research more on your own ,BIRDS ARE BEAUTIFUL.
Every animal trait was there just to keep it alive in the wild. This is why genetics is so important