Unintentional Migration

in #nature5 years ago

Sometimes, the long and arduously crafted behavioral instincts of an animal can go awry, caused by a mistake or unfavorable mutation in its genetic code. This is often seen in birds, and leads to an individual which will migrate in the opposite direction.


Reverse Migration, jimfbleak.

Known as reverse migration, this impulse will drive certain birds to show up during the wrong season, or to fly the wrong way for thousands of miles, and is often thought to be a problem with their geomagnetic sensory system. For instance, instead of flying from Europe to Africa for the winter, a bird may actually end up in the US.


This Eurasian Cuckoo is sometimes spotted in Alaska.

These vagrants usually attract lots of attention from certain types of bird-watchers who try and assemble the longest list of species observed in a certain area. Birds so far out of their normal habitat can sometimes attract large crowds of these "chasers".

Besides genetic factors, there are several other common causes for birds to be seen far outside their normal range. General inexperience can cause many younger birds, called "spring overshoots"to fly on well past their intended target grounds. A great many birds are caught up in storms as well, being literally blown by strong winds to strange and distant lands.

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