Displaying items by tag: migration

Today, most people know that birds migrate by flying south during winter, and then fly north again as the days grow longer and temperatures rise. We also understand that some birds fly great distances each year to move from their summer homes to their winter spots.

Did you know that our understanding of bird migration is a relatively recent development?

While on the phone with a friend the other day, I spied a hummingbird at the feeder by my window. “Wow, that’s a fat hummingbird,” I exclaimed. He pointed out that this is the time of year when the tiny birds start to bulk up for their fall migration to Central America. Good thing I refreshed the nectar earlier in the week.

Hummingbirds literally double their weight before they head south. To put that in perspective, for most of the year, they weigh as much as a dime. So, that bulky hummingbird I saw might have weighed as much as two dimes!