Where ducks winter: where do birds fly and features of migration, reasons for returning

Wild ducks belong to the category of migratory birds that are forced to migrate annually to warm countries. This is required for the birds to survive. The main reasons for migration include lack of food and adverse climatic conditions. Birds carefully prepare for the flight. They gain weight and teach the young to move long distances. So where exactly do ducks winter?

Why do birds need wintering?

Ducks fly away to winter in mild climates for various reasons. These include the following:

• heredity;
• worse weather conditions;
• biorhythms;
• nutrition deficit;
• instincts.

The main reason for displacement is the lack of food in winter. Wild ducks mainly feed on insects that hibernate or die out in winter. Birds also eat grass. With the advent of cold weather, finding such food is very problematic. Ducks also fly away from warm countries. This is due to dry weather and lack of clean water.

Another factor that creates the need for flights is the change in habitat - it includes nesting, wintering and migration areas.

Ducks make their flight without rest or make short stops. In the temperate climate zone, which is located in Europe, their living environment has changed a lot. There is a territory between the homeland of birds and the wintering area, which for some birds is considered a zone of permanent residence.The waters there never freeze. This is mostly typical for big cities.

Types of migration

Birds fly to other regions for the winter to wait out the cold and cope with food shortages.

Scientists identify several types of temporary movement of ducks:

1. The first type is tied to the birth of offspring. When the ducklings grow up and get a little stronger, the ducks will form flocks and fly away. At the same time, drakes are included in the first group of migratory birds. After them, chicks fly and only then - ducks.
2. The second type of migration is due to seasonal molting. At the same time, new feathers grow in birds. They wait this time in the transit area. For example, ducks that winter in the Mediterranean are on the banks of the Volga during molting.
3. The third type is due to the return of ducks home. Their summer passes there, and new chicks are born. After this period, the ducks again form flocks and fly south.

Wintering places for our ducks

The main task of moving birds to the south is the search for habitats with an optimal climate. In doing so, they seek out regions with plenty of food and water. With the advent of cold weather, birds fly away from different regions of Russia. They are moving west. At the same time, the flight time depends on the region. So, ducks fly away from Siberia earlier. In this case, the birds can wait out the molt in the south of Russia. Birds leave Moscow around October. With the advent of spring, they return in the same flock back. Summer is the period of nesting and breeding.

Many people are interested in exactly where the birds are moving. Major destinations include the following:

• south of Europe - ducks move to the Mediterranean coast for the winter;
• Asia Minor - many birds fly to Iran or Turkey;
• shores of the Sea of Azov;
• Kavkaz;
• North Africa - birds live in regions that belong to the Mediterranean basin;
• the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Sometimes wild ducks winter in the B altics. This region also has access to the sea and plenty of food to withstand the cold. Many ducks fly from Russia to France. There they settle on the banks of the Rhine and the Loire.

Duck wintering areas are not stable. Their change may be due to various factors. The key one is food. When one region becomes uninhabitable in winter, the ducks are forced to look for another.

Features of migration

Features of duck migration have not been fully explored.People are often interested in exactly where ducks move in the fall with the onset of cold weather and how the time to return back is determined. Ornithologists cannot give an exact answer to these questions. Research on the characteristics of migration continues today.

The desire of birds to fly is laid in them at the genetic level. The process of moving has many features. Drakes and ducks begin to prepare for migration in advance:

1. Birds gain more weight. They settle in the reeds to avoid attacks by predators.
2. By September, the molt ends, and the birds have new feathers. At this time, the chicks grow up and become stronger. At this stage, they are able to fly south with their parents.

Building birds while flying

Ducks move in a flock in the form of a wedge or column. At the same time, they are placed at an angle with respect to the flight route. This is due to the air currents that raise the wings during flight.

Placement of birds in the form of a wedge helps to reduce by 10-20% the cost of the forces of birds, which are located behind the front bird. If they line up in a single line, the airflow that the wings of the front bird raise will disrupt the path of the rear one.

Wedge is headed by the strongest individuals. In this case, the leader controls the direction of the flight. This process is considered quite complicated. Often, birds are forced to fly for a long time without stopping.

Because they sometimes change so that the rest of the ducks can rest. Before the start of the flight, the offspring prepare for a long time, trying to fly at impressive distances.

Reason for return

Migration plates that overwintered in warmer regions, as a rule, return to the area of the previous summer camp. The main factor is the shortage of food in the wintering area. The local birds that live there also give birth to chicks. As a result, food becomes scarce. This encourages ducks to return to their native lands.

Migration of ducks is considered to be quite a complex and interesting process, which ornithologists are still studying. Before wintering, birds undergo thorough preparation, and then fly away to warmer climes.

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