4 Answers

Scientists are still baffled about exactly how hummers home in on home. (After all, the birds are too small to track with transmitters.) But they conduct research on other birds, and review other scientists' findings. The conclusion: Hummingbirds have a mixed bag of tricks! They migrate by instinct, but their bodies and the environment help them steer course. Scientists think that hummingbirds may do these things:

Respond to photoperiod (the number of hours of sunlight) at a certain time of year. This releases hormones that "tell" hummers its time to go.

Cue into the Earth's magnetic field. Like some other birds, they may have substances in their bodies that can sense the magnetic field. By knowing which way is north, they are better able to steer.

Use the sun as a "compass." They use the sun's position in the sky -- and where it is at different times of day -- to stay on course. (Scientists think the pineal gland on the tops of birds' brains is sensitive to light.)

Notice and recall landmarks such as rivers, coastlines, mountain ranges, and even highways.

Some scientists wonder whether birds even use their senses of smell and hearing to locate familiar places! There are always more questions in science. That's what makes it so exciting . . .

13 years ago. Rating: 1
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WE AS HUMAN OR HUMEN HAVE THE ABLITY TO JOURNY IN MANY DIRECTIONS OF THIS WORLD.

13 years ago. Rating: 0
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THE BIRD THAT FLIES BACKWARDS ,FROM MY UNDERSTANDING,WHICH MIGHT BE WRONG, GOES BY INTUITION ===SINCE-NO THOUGHT.

13 years ago. Rating: 0
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God gave this species a way to follow the magnetic fields of the earth.

13 years ago. Rating: 0
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