Why do birds fly south for the winter? Because it’s too far to walk. Understanding migratory versus non-migratory birds is important when you are a business dealing with bird problems.
We’ve all heard that riddle. It’s probably the most popular bird-based joke – after the one about the chicken and the road. But how much truth is there in the notion that birds fly south for the winter?
Migratory Birds Versus Non-Migratory Birds
Many birds do make the migratory trek, and for some, it’s an impressive feat. True migratory birds can cover hundreds of miles a day, though migration patterns and distances can vary greatly. The champion migrator has to be the arctic tern – they migrate from the Arctic polar regions to the Antarctic and back each year, clocking an average of 56,000 miles just to experience two summers!
Many birds, however, are homebodies (non-migratory birds). These are resident birds that live in the same place throughout the year without migrating north or south.
Even birds that do migrate don’t necessarily travel as far as we think. For snow geese, “south for the winter” can be Pennsylvania. Starlings, one of the most troublesome nuisance birds, is only partially migratory – meaning some starlings migrate and some don’t. The English house sparrow, which is the number one nuisance bird we see, is non-migratory.
Migration Affects Bird Removal Strategy
Knowing whether a bird migrates or not just useful for party conversation – it also informs a course of action for dealing with bird problems. If you have problems with the same birds year-round, chances are you have a residential, or non-migratory, species. If you see problems seasonally, you may have a migratory nuisance bird. It is possible for these issues to occur at any time of the year in any combination.
We’ve seen the problems migratory birds can cause. We helped a home improvement warehouse in Indiana who experienced no bird problems all year, except for the winter, when literally thousands of starlings would descend upon them, roosting, making a mess, and ravaging their inventory. Because they were a seasonal nuisance, there was not much we could do to “harden” the facility against them. Ultimately, we used flock relocation techniques to convince the birds to go elsewhere in the winter.
As we described in a previous article, flock relocation is an entirely different strategy than bird removal. But that’s what we do best – we match specific solutions to your problem. Migratory problem birds may just require us to come one or two times a year and address the issue. If you have non-migratory nuisance birds, it may make sense for you to have an annual service contract, allowing us to get the problem under control, then follow up with regular maintenance.
That’s why it helps to know whether your birds are migratory or residential (or a mix of both). Observe the problems you have and when they occur, and we can work together to devise the right solution. We don’t all get to fly south for the winter, but having Meridian on your side can help you relax.