• Question: Why do birds fy south in the winter?

    Asked by anon-220535 on 12 Jun 2019.
    • Photo: Kate Timms

      Kate Timms answered on 12 Jun 2019:


      Usually, birds and other migrating animals move to wherever the conditions are most favourable at that time of year. That means wherever their is enough food and resources for them to survive. As it gets colder, the things birds feed on get harder to find, so they fly south to where it’s warmer and there is more food available. Sometimes birds and other animals also migrate to where their is more safety to have their babies. Like when penguins all group together into huge inland colonies to keep chicks safe from predators.

    • Photo: Kaitlin Wade

      Kaitlin Wade answered on 12 Jun 2019:


      Bird migrate south where it is warmer for them to give birth to their babies, where it is warmer and there is plenty of food.

    • Photo: Rebecca Moon

      Rebecca Moon answered on 12 Jun 2019:


      To find more favourable conditions – food sources, chick safety

    • Photo: Matthew Bareford

      Matthew Bareford answered on 14 Jun 2019:


      Hi Lilymay07, Birds fly south in the winter because it is warmer and easier to find food there. This means that they can raise their chicks in a much safer and easier environment.

      If they didn’t fly south, then there is more chance that they wouldn’t survive the winter, and so it is kind of a safety thing.

    • Photo: Nina Rzechorzek

      Nina Rzechorzek answered on 14 Jun 2019:


      Birds that nest in the Northern Hemisphere migrate northward in the spring to exploit expanding insect populations, budding plants and an abundance of nesting locations. As winter approaches and food availability drops, the birds move south again. This website gives a pretty good overview:

      The Basics of Bird Migration: How, Why, and Where

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