Hello Students, read the below article then on your own webpage on www.goodtoknow.com, write a short constructed response using "R-A-C-E-" as instructed in class.
What is the main reason that the birds are migrating south?
Use one details from the passage to support your response.
Get out your binoculars—birds are making their annual trek north
Daffodils, cherry blossoms and tulips aren't the only things brightening up the thawing landscape now that spring is nearly here. Spring begins March 19. Right now, dozens of species of birds have left their winter homes in the south. They are embarking on their annual journey north. It is part of spring migration. In the coming weeks, even more will spread their wings. And they will follow the same route their ancestors did.
Spring is a particularly wonderful time for bird watching. This is according to Timothy Guida. He is a research technician at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. He spoke with Smithsonian.com.
"During the spring, the males have on their beautiful plumage to attract mates," he says. "So you'll see birds at their most vibrant."
Another bonus to spring migration is that it occurs as a mass movement. It takes place over a shorter timeframe than its fall counterpart. That is because birds are anxious to reach their breeding grounds and begin mating.
"During the fall, the timespan for migration is much broader, since birds typically start leaving once the temperature drops and there's a lack of food," says Guida. "But in the spring, you'll see more of a blitz over the span of several weeks. Timing is more imperative for birds to begin reproducing and raising young."
Birds already on their epic odyssey include pectoral sandpipers, great egrets, ospreys, western kingbirds, scissor-tailed flycatchers and brown thrashers. This is according to a report published by BirdCast. It is a subsection of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. And birds aren't the only species in migration mode. Monarch butterflies are also leaving their winter homes for the north.
With all the diversity to be seen among spring migrators, you might worry about how to make the most of your bird watching outing.
"My advice is to not stress out by trying to see everything at once. But instead, focus on one or two species and see if you can identify them," Guida says. "I think people know more about birds than they realize. By comparing the birds you're seeing to the ones you already know, you can start piecing everything together by color or size and develop birding skills that way."
