Flying Mechanics
Birds bones compared to other animal bones
Birds migrate due to lack of these critters in the winter
What is insect eating
Undulating flight when these birds go up and down
What are finches
Albatross' wing span, being the longest in the world
What is 11 ft
To sleep through the winter
What is hibernate
The flight muscles are attached to this bone in the bird's chest
What is keel
Birds are able to fly faster and save energy when flying in this formation pattern
What is V
Birds that fly in V formation
What are geese, duck, gulls, waterfowl
Chemicals produced by birds when the days become shorter
What is hormones
Patterns of stars, used at night to navigate
What are constellations
The wing bone that the other end of the muscle is attached to
What is humerus
What is migration
This bird travels alone because it doesn't need protection
What are eagles
Birds that get off track occasionally and end up in a location they have never been before
What is vagrant
Migrating birds can fly to these heights
What is 3,000-6,000 ft
Heat waves that rise from the ground allow the bird to lift higher and higher while on this wave
What is thermal
Birds that are given special instincts that enable them to fly together and form patterns
What is formation
Birds that abandon their young, flying south without them
What are bristle thighed curlews and short tailed shearwater
Found in the heads of birds to possibly help them sense the magnetic field
What is magnetite
Large structures that help knowing where one is
What are landmarks
Seabirds wings
What is stiff thin and pointy
The ability for a bird to reach its destination without getting lost
What is homing instinct
This bird flies 20,000 miles round trip each year from the arctic circle to the antarctic
What are arctic terns
Some birds navigating use the earth's
What is magnetic field
The length of the day tells a bird when it is time to migrate
What is photoperiod