Explained: How do migratory birds travel thousands of kilometers by using the sun and stars as guides? Why is India the destination?

First famous Urdu poet Jawad Read this couplet of Sheikh-

‘I am thinking this while packing my things,
who don’t live anywhere They Where are you going…’

You all must have understood its meaning. But today the lion’s share is not on humans, but on migratory birds, who leave their cities every year to settle in India. How much struggle one has to struggle to survive can be learned from these foreign birds, because in winter they have neither home nor food and water. A.B.P. explainer Let us understand why migratory birds leave their homes in winter, how they travel thousands of kilometers and why they come to India only…

Question 1- When and from where do migratory birds come to India?
answer- every year ok September In the month of May, millions of birds leave their original home and set out on a long journey. These birds come to India in the same way as we go to the mountains in summer. This is the most siberia Come from far flung areas. As Yamal Peninsula, Taimyr Lake, Lena River area, Yakutia And Chukotka,

some come arctic from russia, some mongolia and China’s Tibet from the plateau, some kazakhstan elders of steppe something else from the areas scandinavia i.e norway, sweden And finland They also come from areas like They gradually reach India from the first week of September to the end of November.

come first They Small birds that fly quickly on the way, like amur Falcon and Rosie starlingThen october Ducks come in, Geese And flamingocome last in november siberian crane And again and again-headed goose,

There are two main routes for these birds to come to India…

1. hindukush And karakoram Entering Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan via Pakistan over the mountains.
2. This is the most difficult The way is to cross the Himalayas directly.

World’s highest flying bird bar-headed goose mount Everest It also flies over India and enters India via Nepal and Uttarakhand. It flies at an altitude of 8-9 thousand meters, where the air oxygen It is very rare, but their blood and lungs are so special that they can do it.

come in largest numbers Northern pintail, Northern shoveler, gadwall, common teal Like ducks. Their number ranges from 50-60 lakh every year. flamingo It ranges from Rs 5-6 lakh. siberian crane Now there are very few left, only 50-70 come.

Question 2- How do migratory birds travel thousands of kilometers?
answer- Come, now let us know about real magic. They Magic that even scientists are surprised to see that these birds do not exist without any mapWithout GPSHow do we cover a distance of 10-15 thousand kilometers without internet without moving even an inch?,

First of all, these small birds come out at night and bigger birds like goose, crane And flamingo They fly both day and night. They fly continuously for 10-12 hours at a time, then rest for 2-3 days in a lake or field, fill their stomach and then fly again. Like this the whole route 6-8 step Let’s complete in…

• Now coming to magic, the first one is hidden in their eyes and mind. compassA special thing in their mind and beak crystal happens whose name is magnetiteThis is the earth’s magnetic Makes the area feel exactly like our compass The needle shows north direction. scientists by experiment It has been proved that if fake magnetic If you create an area then this Vomit Start flying in the direction. That means nature has created real within them. compass Has been fitted.
• The second magic is that of the sun. If we fly during the day, we see the sun and know that we have to go in the south-west direction. Even if it is cloudy, there is a special protein in their eyes which helps them to see the sun. ultraviolet to the rays Too Sees from behind the clouds. That means whether there are clouds or fog, the sun cannot hide from them.
• The third and most surprising magic is that of the night, when they fly after seeing the stars. of their brain hippocampus Part of the name recalls a map of the stars. scientists have Planetarium In experiment When the map of stars was rotated, the birds also started moving in the same direction. Meaning, the map of the entire sky is written in their mind.
• The fourth magic is that of air. strong winds blowing in different directions at high altitude jet stream They say. These birds first climb up, catch the wind in the right direction and then keep gliding for hundreds of kilometers without flapping their wings. This is what makes their long flights possible.
• is the fifth magic memory Of. The birds that have traveled the path once, remember the same path, the same lakes and the same fields and come back next year. satellite tracking It has been revealed that bar-headed goose Crosses the Himalayas every year through the same mountain pass. There is not even a meter here and there.

The most surprising thing is that the children who are flying for the first time, They Reach the right place even without parents. That means all this information about them DNA It is already written in.

Question 3- These birds could go anywhere in the world, then why do they come to India only?
answer- There are 4 big reasons for this…

• of winter resort, when in the north siberia It gets cold up to -50 degrees and the entire land is covered with snow. And Then at that very time there is mild cold in India. The sun shines and the most important thing is that water never runs out. It is filled with thousands of lakes, rivers, swamps, sea shores, rice fields and fish farming ponds.
• refuge of the himalayas, The Himalayas are the highest wall in the world, which stops the fierce cold winds coming from the north. Here you’llgame off Thrones’ Must have missed the north wall. Similarly, in the north there is a snow storm, while in the south there is mild cold and lots of water. That’s why India is perfect for them safe Is the zone.
• old relationship, siberian crane They have been coming to India for more than 10 thousand years. This is the place for these birds DNA It is written in. Just as your village resides in your blood, so do their children. DNA It is written in it that if winter comes, we have to go to India.
• no other way, Now in the world there are many old sights are over. First this bird Iran, Iraq, middle East elders of swamps They used to stay there also, but the swamps there dried up and hunting increased. now only india They The last big country left where millions hectare wetlands Survivors and love these birds. Go to see them and protect them.

Question 4- How long and where do these birds stay in India?
answer- These guests first start arriving in the first fortnight of September and leave by the end of April. That means they stay with us for about 7-8 months. But every bird has its own time and favorite place…

• first team, Nagaland And Manipur in the mountains of october-In November they stop in such large numbers that the entire sky turns black. Rest here for 10-15 days and then proceed to South India and then Africa Let’s go. at this time flamingo They start reaching Rann of Kutch in Gujarat and stay there till March-April. Around 1 lakh by December 1, 2025 flamingo Have reached Kutch.
• second team, Scatters around large freshwater lakes. of Punjab-Haryana Harike pattan wetlandof Uttar Pradesh Sandi, Nawabganj, Lakhbahoshhi and similar SanctuarySambhar Lake of Rajasthan and Keoladev Bharatpur, Odisha of Chilka Lake, Andhra Pradesh Kolleru Lake and Assam Deepor beel And Kaziranga Fields of.

Rann of Kutch of Gujarat and tube Of Grassland is also a favorite place. Overall Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil NaduBirds nest in many states including Goa, Assam, Maharashtra and Punjab.

Question 5- Then why and how do migratory birds go back from India?
answer- From the end of February they gradually start preparing for their return. First the small birds emerge, then in March the ducks and Geesethen in the first week of April flamingo And finally-headed gooseBy mid-April the entire sky becomes empty again,

In fact, by the month of March, in the North siberia, arctic And Tibet The snow starts melting. There there is a 24 hour day in May-June, which means the sun does not set. Insects emerge in billions and trillions of numbers. Lakes open up and grass grows. The entire area there suddenly becomes alive. This only They The place where these birds have to give birth to their babies.

They came to India only to spend the winter, but their real home is the one where their children are born, where their species Has been living for thousands of years. If they stay in India, the water will dry up in the scorching heat of 45 degrees and their children will not be born.