Birds migrate for reasons such as finding more food, dispersing their young, avoiding predators, and seeking more favorable climates. They navigate using the sun, stars, and landmarks, and possibly a magnetic sense. Migration is studied using bird ringing where birds are caught, tagged, and released to track their movements. Migrating birds face challenges including harsh weather, lack of resources, and threats from other birds and humans. Activities to teach children about bird migration include making bird houses, reading books, bird watching, marking routes on maps, art projects, and learning about climate and predator risks birds encounter.

1. Bird Migration
Why do birds migrate??
•More food
•To disperse their own breed to different
regions
•To protect their babies
•To get away from predators
•To avoid disease
•Warmer/colder climate

2. How do migrating birds find their way??
•Inherit an ability to fly in a particular
direction at a particular time of the year
•The position of the sun in the sky
•At night, recognise the position of the
stars
•Landmarks such as coastal headlands,
river valleys and ranges of hills
•Magnetic sense??

3. How we study migrating birds:
•A method called ringing is used to study
and identify migrating birds.
•Each ring consists of a different number.
• Birds are caught at special trapping
locations, ringed and then released back
into the sky.
•We can tell about bird movements by
identifying the country of the ring on the
bird caught.

4. What challenges and threats do they
face on long journeys?
•Cold weather
•Hot weather, drought, no water
•Bigger, more vicious, dangerous birds
•Human hunting

5. Activities to do with children about bird
migration:
•Make bird houses and
put food out to help feed
the migrating birds.
•Read books to children about the issue
of migration.

6. •Bird watching
•For older children, they can mark
migration routes on the map

7. •Simple bird art, paintings
•Learn about different
climate types that birds
can encounter (drought,
blizzards etc.)
•Teach kids about predators and bigger
birds
•Teach kids simple facts about human
interference and the danger of humans for
birds.