Why do some birds migrate south and others don't? Where exactly do Central European migratory birds overwinter? And when will they return? You can find answers to these and other questions, stimulating pictures and exciting facts here.
When the birds retreat after the breeding season in summer and their singing is no longer as cheerful and polyphonic as in spring, the season is over for many bird lovers for the time being. That is, at least until the cold autumn winds pick up and bring with them a whole new spectacle of birds: Suddenly large groups of birds gather in fields and trees and huge flocks fly across the sky. These birds usually prepare for very long journeys - because our winters are cold and barren and do not offer many bird species the necessary food supply to get them through to spring. Because of this, these birds leave their breeding grounds and head south. We would now like to explain to you in more detail where our domestic migratory birds go, when they return to us and what dangers lurk on their long journey.
Migratory birds: profile and definition
Migratory birds are those bird species that regularly leave their breeding grounds, stay in special winter quarters outside of the breeding season and then return. These are often insectivores such as swallows or warblers, which we simply cannot find food for in winter. But the Central European winter doesn't have much to offer for other bird species either, forcing them to head south as well - it's simply not enough for everyone.
The opposite of migratory birds are the so-called resident birds, which actually remain in their breeding areas all year round and make do with what the barren winter landscape has to offer. Our resident birds in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other parts of Central Europe include the robin, the coal tit and the great spotted woodpecker.
How do migratory birds find their way?
How exactly migratory birds find their way south has been a long timeTime an exciting question in science. It was found early on that migratory behavior is innate in many species and that even animals kept in isolation know exactly where to go. A type of internal compass has been discovered that allows birds to perceive the angle of inclination of the Earth's magnetic field. Other orientation methods are also landmarks, which the birds can learn, as well as the position of the stars and the sun. Thanks to their ability to perceive UV light, birds can determine the latter even when the sky is cloudy.
Tip: With the question “why can birds fly?” we deal with it in our special article.
Flight routes: Where do our native migratory birds fly?
Of course, the question now arises as to where our native migratory birds go when they leave us. Unfortunately, this cannot be answered so easily, because the flight routes and the winter quarters vary between the individual bird species. Some birds only fly to regions a little further south, others travel half a world trip and still others only migrate under certain circumstances. For the sake of simplicity, migratory birds are therefore divided into short to medium-distance migrants, long-distance migrants and partial migrants. In the following you will find out what you can imagine under these designations and which of our native migratory birds are listed under them.
Long-distance migrants
As the name suggests, long-distance migrants are birds that travel particularly long distances during migration. The hibernation quarters are usually many thousands of kilometers away from the breeding areas. The migratory birds fly south from Germany and other parts of Europe across the Mediterranean Sea, along the African Atlantic coast and sometimes even across the desert before finally settling south of the Sahara.
A prime example of long-distance migrants are common swifts, which migrate for about half the year and spend only three months each in their breeding and wintering areas. The gliders are perfectly adapted to life in the air and can even sleep during flight.
Other known long-distance migrants are:
- White Storks
- Dust Swallows
- Barn Swallows
- Chiffchaff
- Cuckoos
Short to medium-distance migrants
As a short-distance migrant orMedium-distance migrants, on the other hand, are bird species that rarely travel more than 2000 kilometers to get to their winter quarters. For our native migratory birds, these are mainly in the Mediterranean region. Most species also remain in southern Europe; only a few actually cross the Mediterranean and winter in northern Africa. Some short- or medium-distance migrants also spend the winter in mild parts of Western Europe.
Very well-known medium-distance migrants are starlings, for example, which can form huge swarms with several hundred thousand individuals and offer a true natural spectacle with their imposing formations.
Other local short and medium-distance migrants are:
- Cranes
- Wild geese (e.g. greylag geese)
- Black Redstarts
- Skylark
- Blackcaps
partial puller
Bird migration is not always mandatory, however. Some bird species are so-called partial migrants, some of which are resident birds and some of which are migratory birds. In the case of the goldfinch, for example, part of the Central European populations remain in their breeding areas, while others overwinter in Western Europe. In the case of the chaffinch, on the other hand, migration is mainly a matter for women: while the females go to milder regions in winter, the males usually stay behind in the breeding areas and form smaller swarms there.
Other local part-timers are also:
- Greenfinches
- Searess
- Dunnbell
Sometimes bird migration only occurs under certain circumstances. In particularly harsh winters and when there is a shortage of food, some bird species suddenly leave their breeding grounds in large numbers and settle in a milder area. This phenomenon, which is also known as evasion or invasion, occurs, for example, in siskins or jays.
Note: The designations 'long', 'short' or 'medium-distance migrant' are only valid regionally. While the robin is a sedentary bird in Central Europe, for example, it is a short-distance migrant in Northern Europe, leaving its breeding area and spending the winter with us, for example. The same also applies to invasive birds, which are actually at home in more northern regions and which occasionally appear in flocks as winter guests. These include, for example, the mountain finch or the waxwing.
When are migratory birds on the move?
In principle, migratory birds leave their breeding areas in late year, when the breeding season is over, and return in spring for the new breeding season. Exactly when the migratory birds leave depends on the length of their breeding season and the distance to their wintering quarters. Some species start heading south again as early as the end of August; others can be observed here until November. The same applies to retreat - while some migratory birds return to their breeding grounds as early as February, others only return from their winter quarters in May.
Dangers for migratory birds
Escape from the cold winter is not without risks. Bird migration is a strenuous affair that can be particularly fatal for older animals. But even young and he althy migratory birds have to fight their way through storms and other hardships - one of which is man and his influence on nature. Rest areas and feeding grounds, for example, are being lost as a result of the intensification of the landscape and the increasing sealing of areas. In the Mediterranean area, there is also active hunting with nets, sticky traps and other means for the migrating birds, during which many animals lose their lives. And climate change is not leaving the migratory birds unaffected either: due to the increasingly early start of spring, late-arriving bird species are missing out on the high season for the insects they need to raise their young birds.
For these reasons, a quarter of all German breeding birds are already on the Red List and are therefore considered endangered.
The times of bird migration offer many wonderful opportunities to observe birds. You can find out what you need for this and how you can discover a variety of species in your own garden in our special article on the subject of 'bird watching'.