Very few birds stay in the same place their whole lives. Most move to find a good food source, either so that they can raise a family or just survive. Some of these migrations are short, but many birds make truly epic journeys, crossing continents and oceans.
In the UK, we see a big surge in bird migration during the spring, when species like swifts and cuckoos arrive, and then again in the autumn, when our geese and swans return. Birds use a wide range of techniques to navigate up and down their flyways. They can use visual landmarks like rivers or the stars; the Earth’s magnetic field; smell; or even just follow other birds. But however they do it, migration is a truly incredible feat.
