1. Flight and Migration - Charles A. Lindbergh
“If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes.”
- Charles A. Lindbergh

2. Feathers
Modified from epidermis – lots of keratin protein (as in scales, nails, skin, hair)
Function:
Insulation
Flight
Regulate body heat (endotherms)
Sexual display

3. Types of Feathers Down Contour - irregular shape (dead air space)
- give body a smooth, aerodynamic shape
- some are specialized specifically for flight

4. Feather Structure

5. Molting Feathers are a dead structure (analogous to hair in humans)
Molting essential to replace worn feathers
Kinds of molts
Complete (patchy look)
Partial (gradual)
* Molt 1-2 times/year (lots of energy spent)

6. Migration
Migration = the regular, seasonal shift of birds from one region to another (Instinctive)
Origins of migration:
Glacial era
Ancestral home in tropics
Went north to avoid crowding when breeding
Stimulus to start migration (“Biological Clock”)
Inherent in hormones, related to length of daylight

7. Why Migrate? Adequate supply of food (or enough daylight to find it)
Favorable climate in which to live
less stress on thermoregulation and young
Most migrations are latitudinal (N-S)
Some permanent residents – tropical birds
Some far north to far south (ex. Artic Tern 11,000 miles one way!!)

8. Factors Used for Navigation
Topographical features
Position of sun (starlings and pigeons)
Star patterns
Magnetic fields
Prevailing winds
Sounds and smells

9. Routes Well established flyways
Blue Goose (James Bay Louisiana 5,000 km nonstop)
Ruby Throated Hummingbird (1000 km across Gulf of Mexico
* Arrivals are often very precise and can range from slow (4 months) to fast (several weeks)

10. Routes

11. Hazards to Migration Hunters Planes New predators Storms
Population densities

12. Studying Migration
Tagging/banding
Radar