Scientists explain how migratory birds find their way south

Scientists explain how migratory birds find their way south AI

On 19 August UNIAN published an explainer describing how migratory birds navigate to wintering grounds. Researchers say navigation is largely genetic and combines magnetoreception, celestial cues, landscape landmarks and smell; young birds also learn routes from adults. Urban light pollution can disrupt night navigation. Relevant for Kyiv residents: city lights can confuse migrating birds, and municipalities often ask people to switch off unnecessary external lighting during migration seasons.

A UNIAN explainer (19 August) summarizes current scientific understanding of bird migration and how birds find their way to warmer wintering areas. The article says the urge to migrate is genetically encoded, allowing even young birds to head south without prior experience. Key navigation tools include magnetoreception—special visual receptors that let birds sense Earth’s magnetic field as a kind of map—plus the positions of the Sun, Moon and stars.

Birds also use landscape features such as river corridors and can form olfactory “maps” by smell, which helps species crossing seas and oceans. In some species, including storks, cranes and geese, juveniles follow experienced adults and learn the route.

UNIAN notes that artificial night lighting in cities can mask star cues and impair visual receptors, causing disorientation and exhaustion. Many cities urge residents and businesses to dim or switch off nonessential external lighting during autumn and spring migrations.

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