Why do many birds migrate?

To find food and breeding sites

Bird Migration Trivia Quiz – Names, Facts and Surprises

Some birds cross whole oceans without stopping, and this bird migration trivia quiz follows them from Greenland to Antarctica and from Alaska to New Zealand. Discover how they navigate by stars, magnetic fields and landmarks, and what makes them leave in the first place.

Start Bird Migration Trivia Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Longest
Which bird has the longest known migration?
Nonstop
Which bird flew about 13,000 km nonstop from Alaska to Australia?
Why
Why do many birds migrate?
Compass
Which natural force do birds sense to navigate?
Formation
Why do geese fly in a V formation?
Night
When do many songbirds migrate?
Bottleneck
Which strait sees huge numbers of migrating storks and raptors?
Rings
How do scientists track bird migration?
Swallows
Where do European barn swallows spend winter?
Hummingbird
Which tiny bird crosses the Gulf of Mexico nonstop?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which bird has the longest known migration?
Answer: Arctic tern
It can fly over 70,000 km a year.
Q2: Which bird flew about 13,000 km nonstop from Alaska to Australia?
Answer: Bar-tailed godwit
The record was set in 2022.
Q3: Why do many birds migrate?
Answer: To find food and breeding sites
Long summer days give more food for chicks.
Q4: Which natural force do birds sense to navigate?
Answer: Earth's magnetic field
They also use the Sun and stars.
Q5: Why do geese fly in a V formation?
Answer: To save energy
Each bird rides the updraft of the one ahead.
Q6: When do many songbirds migrate?
Answer: At night
Cooler air and fewer predators help.
Q7: Which strait sees huge numbers of migrating storks and raptors?
Answer: Strait of Gibraltar
Birds avoid long sea crossings.
Q8: How do scientists track bird migration?
Answer: Leg rings and GPS tags
Tiny trackers now weigh less than a gram.
Q9: Where do European barn swallows spend winter?
Answer: Africa
Some fly as far as South Africa.
Q10: Which tiny bird crosses the Gulf of Mexico nonstop?
Answer: Ruby-throated hummingbird
It doubles its weight before leaving.

Bird Migration Trivia Quiz – Journeys Across the Sky

Bird migration is the seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds. Billions of birds make these journeys each year, following routes called flyways, to take advantage of food, daylight and safe nesting places.

Migrating birds navigate using the Sun, stars, Earth's magnetic field and landmarks such as coastlines and mountains. Some, like the bar-tailed godwit, fly thousands of kilometers without stopping, while others rest at stopover sites to refuel.

Migration is risky. Birds face storms, predators, hunting, collisions with buildings and the loss of wetlands and stopover habitats. Protecting key sites along flyways and switching off lights at night help migrating birds survive.

What This Quiz Teaches

Bird lovers and geography fans will enjoy these questions.

Which bird migrates farthest
How birds navigate
Why they migrate
Why geese fly in a V
How migration is tracked

Did You Know?

Some birds sleep while flying.
Radar can show migrating flocks.
Swifts stay airborne for months.
Flyways cross many countries.
Climate change shifts migration timing.