Many songbirds migrate at night, navigating by stars and familiar landmarks below.

The longer version

Night air is calmer and cooler, which makes flying cheaper, and darkness hides small birds from hawks that hunt by day. Most small migrants barely eat while travelling, so they set off after a day of feeding and land again at dawn to refuel.

Orientation at night reads the rotation of the star pattern around the sky's pivot, learned when young, with the magnetic field used under cloud. Artificial light and tall lit structures confuse night migrants, which is why large numbers are pulled off course and collide on overcast nights. Radar first revealed how heavy that traffic is.

Where this entry sits

Here you will find feathered trivia about flight, migration, nests, eggs, and the songs birds sing. Expect short surprising facts on penguins, owls, hummingbirds, and other familiar birds from gardens, forests, wetlands, and distant coastlines. The full list sits on the Birds page, where every entry is listed in order.