Moving to survive

Pink-footed geese migrate from Iceland and Greenland to spend the winter in Britain

Flying gives birds a head start when it comes to dealing with tough weather and harsh climates.

Changing diet

Food is found in different places as the weather changes. Many birds have adapted their feeding behaviour to take advantage of this. During autumn, when there is a rich crop of berries, thrushes such as fieldfares and redwings feed in hedges. In winter, when the berries run out, they fly to fields and lawns to feed on worms. Their beaks are adapted for both jobs.

Water carrier

Sandgrouse are ground-nesting birds from the deserts of Africa and Asia. They nest in baking temperatures, far from water but adults have an amazing way of getting water to their young. They fly over 50 kilometres to the nearest waterhole, where they use special feathers on their belly to soak up water like a sponge. They then return to the nest, where the young spoon the water out using their beaks.

Getting away

The best way to escape bad weather is to fly away somewhere nicer. This is called migration, and many millions of birds do it every year. Migration means that they find the best place to breed during summer and the best place to feed during winter.