Where exactly do birds migrate south, and what is their winter life like there?

Swallows and nightingales are the most well-known songbirds from the sparrow family. They leave their nesting places earlier than all others, in August to September, because insects—their primary food source—disappear.

Swallows inhabit nearly all of Eurasia and North America. They undertake the longest migrations, covering distances of up to 10,000 km. The migration takes swallows anywhere from 5-6 weeks to 2-3 months. They fly in large flocks during daylight at speeds of up to 60 km/h.

Swallows from the western population in Europe migrate to Africa south of the Sahara or to tropical regions of Asia. Members of the eastern population head south to winter in China and Southeast Asia. Their wintering grounds have remained consistent for thousands of years.

The bird website Birds4Africa notes that migratory swallows appear across Southern Africa by October. Here, they find abundant food and feed in groups. At night, the birds gather in large nests within reed thickets. Experts from the Northumberland National Park website believe that swallows do not stay permanently in Southern Africa due to numerous predators that threaten their offspring.

These small passerine birds are famous for their unique songs. Their habitats span all of Europe and western Asia, with some species found as far as the Far East. Swallows from warm regions of this extensive range do not migrate for the winter.

Birds from the colder parts of Central Asia migrate to winter in India, China, Japan, Korea, and Indonesia. They travel vast distances in search of suitable climates.

European nightingales, according to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), winter in the humid zone of West Africa. Nightingales from Scandinavia migrate to North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and southern Iran. During winter, these birds feed on insects, worms, and berries. However, they do not sing here as they do in their homeland.

Cranes are birds that evoke the soul with their calling in the autumn. The gray crane is a large bird that inhabits all of Europe and northern Asia. Here, they build nests in dense bushes and tall reeds.

At the end of August, they gather in pre-flight groups of up to several thousand individuals. During this time, they feed on leftover grains in the fields to build strength. During migrations, cranes form their iconic V-shaped formations. With their large wings, they have developed a special migration strategy. The birds catch thermals (warm vertical air currents), allowing the entire flock to ascend and quickly disappear into the sky. These currents transport cranes over great distances.

Cranes from Northern Europe winter in France, Spain, Egypt, and Sudan. Inhabitants of Central Europe migrate to Turkey, Israel, Iran, Iraq, while those from Siberia and the Far East go to India and China.

Storks, like swallows, are among the most long-distance migratory birds. White storks are residents of Europe and Asia. They do not leave warm regions and winter in their nesting areas. From Europe, storks have established several routes south:

For migration, storks gather in flocks of 500-600 individuals. They fly during the day at high altitudes, often soaring while catching thermals. While soaring, they do not fold their wings or expend energy. They may be on their winter migration for up to 2 months.

At their wintering grounds, they group into flocks of thousands, although at home they live in family nests. Over the winter, they gain weight and return home twice as fast.

The habitat range of pink flamingos includes the Middle East, the Mediterranean, with the northernmost nesting sites located in Kazakhstan. These exotic birds settle in salty lagoons and near alkaline lakes.

The website Sea World states that flamingos tend to move within their range:

However, in Asia, due to changing climatic conditions (droughts or frosts), they have begun to migrate en masse southward—to southern India and Sri Lanka. There, they gather in flocks of over a thousand individuals and may sometimes stay for the entire year. However, they do not establish nesting colonies for reproduction. Flamingos migrate from Kazakhstan in September to October. Their route follows the coast of the Caspian Sea, where they winter either in the southern part of the sea or in the Persian Gulf.

Flamingos migrate in flocks of 20-60 birds or even several hundred at night. They fly at varying altitudes: 50 m over water and up to 2-6 km over land. They can cover up to 600 km in a single night.

Pink pelicans inhabit Eurasia, nesting from the Danube Delta in the west to Mongolia in the east. They migrate to the Mediterranean, the northern parts of Africa, and regions between the Persian Gulf and northern India for the winter. In flight, pelicans form several diagonal lines. They flap their wings synchronously and transition to gliding flight.

In America, the American white pelican resides. It has settled in the western parts of Canada, the USA, Mexico, and Panama. It migrates from its nesting areas to central California, the coast of Guatemala, and the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. After enduring the cold season, pelicans return to their permanent colonies to breed.

Over the past 30 years, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reports that the number of migratory birds has halved. Migrations have become risky for them due to the destruction of ecosystems and poaching. Nevertheless, out of 11,000 bird species, about 2,000 migrate for the winter.

The obvious reasons for seasonal bird migrations are the lack of food and adverse weather conditions. Instincts drive them to undertake long and arduous migrations twice a year to warm regions and back to their homelands.