Where Do Birds Go In Winter?

And where do they keep their suitcases?
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As winter approaches, V-shaped flocks glide overhead as the world's birds begin their long treks to warmer climates. Humans used to have some pretty crazy theories about where birds went for winter, like the moon, or to the bottom of the ocean.
How did we learn the real story? And where DO birds go for winter? What are the longest bird migrations? How do birds store up energy for their long journey? How do birds navigate? Why do they fly in a V-shape?
Find out in this week's video!
Charles Morton's theory of birds on the moon: wrd.cm/1xMKc5k
Read Charles Morton's original 1703 pamphlet! bit.ly/1C5AKhk
The story of the stork with a spear in its neck: bit.ly/11PgkIs
Aristotle's theory of bird transmutation: bit.ly/1uwQwHX
The "barnacle goose" bit.ly/1C5BiUg
The Arctic tern's record-breaking migration: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...
The bar-tailed godwit's fat-fueled migration: sora.unm.edu/sites/default/fi...
Ruby-throated hummingbird mighty migration: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...
The avian aerodynamics of the "flying V" bit.ly/1vFFlUs
The many senses that birds use to find their way: bit.ly/11qN9vr
How birds use magnetic fields to navigate: bit.ly/1r2jYLy
Produced for PBS Digital Studios
Joe Hanson - Host/Writer
Joe Nicolosi - Director
Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
Katie Graham - Director of Photography
Andrew Matthews - Editing/Motion Graphics
Dalton Allen - Post-production intern
John Knudsen - Gaffer
Theme music:
"Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod
Stock images by Shutterstock
-----------
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[@alankent]

Okay. 55 years ago I was taught that birds fly south in the winter. Even as a child this made sense; a search for food and a warmer climate. For over half a century I keep hearing this. If the birds travel to a place with food and a hospitable climate, why do they fly north again? No one ever tells me the answer to that question. I have had teachers and people who should know, tell me to shut up. I have never received a satisfactory answer.

[@mahadevparmekar2565]

Good question... Although the reasons are multifactorial I'll address the salient few. 1. Predatory risk-- warmer tropics are littered with predators.. Especially snakes and other sneaky predators which can gobble up the eggs and young ones. Most migratory birds nest in temperate summer and migrate to warmer tropics during their none reproductive phase. Probably because, eggs and young birds are more susceptible to predation.... If predation is the risk, it makes sense to move to a place, which has less predators, when the time comes for laying eggs. 2. Food scarcity-- winter in temperate reasons can lead to food scarcity. (Many species hibernate during winter, crops start flowering during spring.) ... So, birds are forced to go to greener pastures during winter. 3. Competition from native species--- Tropical native species are better adapted to tropics. So they will out-compete migratory birds if they choose to permanently settle in tropical areas. (This competition isnt much pronounced if they come for few months every year... But permanent settlement will bring the competition into focus. ) These advantages aren't that big. But the very fact migration has evolved for some reason, it must have more advantages than the obvious disadvantage of travelling such ling distances risking starvation and dehydration. (During the journey)

[@REgamesplayer]

Watch a documentary about Dodo. These were birds who discovered food rich island and stayed. Many birds do indeed stay where is plenty of food, but most are drawn back instinctually. They evolved in this way, because it is easier to nest in more harsh environments where are fewer predators around.

[@gabrielgomesbrito]

Aristotle, evolving flying type Pokémon before it was cool.

[@ronnnie663]

Love this channel so much. Just subscribed a few days ago, I love that now you learn more on youtube than in School almost! It's also a much more fun way to learn. Keep up the good work; I'm thinking of setting up a channel like this myself. The more knowledge, the better!

[@allieatwood]

Another great video! I haven't been commenting as much as I used to, but I'm watching and loving all of your content. Thanks for answering our questions!

[@besmart]

ACubed Thank you for watching!

[@matthewleary3329]

One of the reasons migratory birds fill up on fat before they migrate is because a byproduct of fat metabolism is water. Many birds will not drink at all during their migration - they get all the water they need by burning fat. Birds would much rather get their water from fat metabolism than from drinking, because water obtained from drinking can weigh them down during their long flights.

[@christinarobohm6920]

I was NOT expecting that "birds vacationing on the moon" thing. Oh man, that nugget of history just changed me 🤣🙏

[@BirdBath1]

Christina Robohm, look at bird bath

[@Dcey-cy2wc]

Hey ur videos are really cool and interesting and they make me facinated. Also science is awsome. And interesting 🕊🌍🌎🌏 all the from Scotland

[@WonderfulAkari]

Question: If birds fly to warmer climates during the winter, why don't they just stay there? It seems more practical for them to just stay in an area that is warm all year. Does it have anything to do with competition and food supply?

[@Nipponing]

Too warm.

[@besmart]

Some birds (parrots, for instance) do stay in warm climates all year! But an estimated 50-70% of North American bird species spend their winters in tropical climates and their summers up north. Most scientists believe that ancestral birds lived in the tropics full time, and some species began to venture north during summer in order to get access to untouched food supplies and breeding grounds away from certain predators. Over time this behavior was written into their DNA, so to speak. There must be an incredible advantage to migration, because it's very dangerous for the birds. 50+% of bird deaths happen during migration

[@FGenthusiast0052]

It's Okay To Be Smart true. As summer gets once again, their prey comes again, fresh, juicy and new, with a bunch of them around all the northern hemisphere, and as it is fresh, and most birds recovered from their energy lost in their migration, they have enough resources to go back again to their original place, thus regaining more energy to do the travelling again when the time comes. Besides, even as it is short time, on the moment birds, go back to the North (HA! Song of Ice and Fire people!), their prey (some amphibians and insects mostly), can repopulate quicker once more, with the usual deals with local southern birds. Not too much a problem for them, since mostly insects cover a HUUUGE part of Earth's population.

[@pwsweet1]

In addition to all that room with relatively few competitors and lots of bugs, summer days are longer the farther away from the equator, giving you that much more time to gather food for your babies.

[@anjumaaaz8702]

Countries warm during winter are too warm during summer

[@rafiq479]

Birds are amazing

[@corncolonel9171]

I've banded birds :D Its great!

[@joshpohlner8716]

1:35 That bird will fly on my birthday

[@HoracioBertorello]

Great episode. I love birds as much as I love It's Okay To Be Smart.

[@pwsweet1]

A minor issue -- Ruby-throated Hummers migrate north to south, not east to west. The long flight across the Gulf is typically from Louisiana to the Yucatan Peninsula.

[@adriaanglibert3854]

Cool episode. European viewers thanks you for using the metric system!

[@jsmunroe]

I really don't like it when people ridicule the ignorance of past civilizations. It is not a matter of lunacy or stupidity. If you were born in these times you would undoubtedly believe similar things. People millennial from now may very well ridicule our ignorance in kind.

[@lightschunk]

Jordan Munroe I agree. Those people had to craft together explanations from scratch. That's one of the explanations for Greek Mythology.

[@waitwhat1920]

+DrDelicious70 Christianity and all other religions as well as greek myth.

[@axepython79]

Why is it so much harder to break a wet branch compared to a dry one??

[@SakuyaLuigi]

Not sure, but it probably has something to do with the fibers.

[@aboulabs]

I think it's because when wet the fibers bend more, that's why you net to twist the branch instead of bending it.

[@Fedemas11]

This video is amazinG! I want to share it with a lot of friends, but I live in Argentina, so most of them speak spanish, is it ok to be ... translated and uploaded? Let me know, I'm curious! ;)

[@besmart]

Fedemas11 Unfortunately I don't allow my videos to be reuploaded, but if anyone's willing to make a Spanish translation, you can head to itsokaytobesmart.subtitl.us/ and submit them there, or email me a text file to the email address in the video description. And I'd love for videos to be translated into any language, not just Spanish! Thanks for your help, volunteers!

[@chair4joeyb826]

Really puts the loon on lunar 🕶 Btw way we need more puns on KZbin

[@inkedinRl]

This thanksgiving the bird is on my plate...

[@SuperWorldJumper]

I would have thought the stork with a spear in its neck would have supported Homer’s theory.

[@benjaminjoesmint337]

Here in SC we have birds year-round. The winter ones are noisier and more populous though, WARMTH!

[@rainthunder7547]

Same here in Las Vegas 🌴🌺☀

[@birbcall5778]

1:55 , i am sorry to say, but the bird from the picture isnt an artic tern, but a common tern :)

[@ascendedmonkey08]

Now I have to wait a whole week for the next one. :(

[@abbywittorff2096]

Random 18th century person: hmm i wonder where birds go in winter Charles Mortin: tO tHe MoOn!

[@BirdBath1]

Abby Wittorff, look at bird bath

[@DesViper]

Honestly, Aristotle's was the best of those

[@UCrT17IS7o_y1WYBraFDSM2A]

Nice video! Keep up the good work!

[@arun9385]

With every video i am watching i am getting closer to hit subscribe button. Stay curious

[@emaillinda9860]

Sometimes birds stay in the north in winter if they have someone feeing them all summer long. Our city birds have been seen here in winter, even in snow storms. They come around every morning to get breakfast. So if you feed birds in summer, you should remember to feed them in winter also. Some birds stay in the sanctuaries and in the wildlife centers all year long. Check out this bird landing on a hand..in the North..USA kzbin.info/www/bejne/embHiGltjcufq5o

[@watermelonhead.]

a moment of silence for the birds flying in front of the V formation

[@BirdBath1]

iCHiGO, look at bird bath

[@luckystrke]

almost unbelievable facts.

[@peterpan8276]

I found the snipe!

[@anmolmishra7369]

Ask Charlie coz he is the best goddamn bird lawyer….he must know this

[@tiengmyketnoi9268]

0:03 flappy bird vs human like mario

[@pazful]

love it dropping the knowledge

[@Timbowskie87]

there was a SciShow video right before your video...I clicked yours first...

[@besmart]

Tim Grace Awesome! I love SciShow, of course, but clicking on my videos is always a great idea :)

[@SadWatermelon]

Do they come back North?

[@rhaegartargaryen9315]

What no "First" comments? One more reason to love this channel. Edit - Okay seems like I was wrong, but when is this first and second crap going to stop? Anyway, It's Okay To Be Smart had a fight with my religious girlfriend and could you make a video defining God? I mean what powers/magic do you need or perhaps immortality to be classified as a God? Just a food for though, it'd be great video if you can make one!

[@rhaegartargaryen9315]

Keep up the good work.

[@jovanholland36]

South

[@prestoncheapbtheadphoneste3010]

South east! 😐

[@johnallencrist.delosreyes9491]

I love this channel.

[@gmosphere]

0:11 not yet there isn't . I believe when we establish a base of the moon we probably send of birds to it to see how the fly in a 1/6th g environment.

[@besmart]

Garrett Monie I bet we send flies. Much smaller cargo!

[@gmosphere]

Yeah you are probably right and sorry for the poor grammar

[@ashasinghal2191]

I started doing some research on bar-headed geese after watching this video, but am unable to find much on the one-way respiratory system mentioned at 2:18 (specific to the bar-headed geese). Any leads? (Research papers, videos, articles etc.) Much appreciated, thanks!

[@annefoley6950]

Do eels

[@arshiamazumder9724]

the bird in the thumbnail looks like budget perry

[@samramdebest]

2:59 wait we burn 1/4 of the weight of a humming bird in fat when we walk for 90 seconds?

[@besmart]

samramdebest Ruby-throated hummingbirds power their entire migration on just 14 calories, which we birn in just a minute or two of brisk walking! You can read the paper here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1325055/

[@samramdebest]

It's Okay To Be Smart and 14 calories is 1/4 of their weight?

[@besmart]

Well, calories aren't weight, but it takes abotu 1.8 grams of fat tissue to make 14 kcal, and that's about 25-35% of their (very tiny) body mass.

[@samramdebest]

It's Okay To Be Smart ah ok

[@Gardner924]

So funny

[@KaanTechCrazy]

when I saw the title of this video on my iPhone I said to myself "they fucking migrate"

[@stdev.]

Do birds flying in that V formation trade places so that one bird doesn't have to lead (with no boost) the whole way?

[@joshuahunt3032]

So that stork was first shot with a spear, and then it got shot with a bullet or crossbow bolt? That poor stork, it had a rough year lol

[@elbraddock7711]

Moon birds

[@sjipsdew]

what are the odds of getting hoverboards by next october 15th?

[@natethegreat441]

I wonder if you got one now 😂

[@Titanic-wo6bq]

STORKS? I WATCHED THE MOVIE!!!

[@michazwierz439]

Yeah! Wing tip vortex FTW! :D

[@ellygreening5616]

where can i find more info about the mechanism which stimulates the migration of birds?

[@TheGreatApple0906]

In history 😃

[@mplayz2435]

It’s ok to be smart

[@appropinquo3236]

the migration path of the arctic tern can actually be a lot more complicated.

[@boredom4475]

So many accient comments here

[@munchnEl]

africa

[@ihavenomouthandimustmeme]

I absolutely love this channels videos but your puns, not so much. :) But hey, I guess it's a PBS thing haha!

[@besmart]

Caner Turan The "P" in both "PhD" and "PBS" stands for "pun" if you ask me

[@opoc_x37]

Mr Bird, I don't feel so good

[@LegobatmanTVG]

I notice the Bar-Tailed Godwit passed the Bermuda Triangle. How does he go that. Or was that not an accurate trail of their journey?

[@jamescullen3810]

SO AMAZINGLIE HELPING PEOPLE I LIKE IT THAT IS GOOD NEWS

[@Lickemstick]

...Thanks for covering the birds in the northern hemisphere known to fly North for winter not south. Would that be too controversial for you considering it's implications? Thought so.

[@Lickemstick]

Yeah you're right. I think I'll make a video titled: What Color are human beings? Where I'll pseudo-scientifically assert that indeed all humans are black in color. What? It's not my job to "touch on every possible area of related knowledge, or only on ones that interest [other people]". Get a clue. They wouldn't ask for comments and subscriptions while allowing comments if they couldn't handle them. They don't need you to "big-brother" for them.

[@kylera2190]

What year was the speared stork observed?

[@besmart]

Hyperion E That happened in 1822. Full story of the "pfeilstorch" here: labandfield.wordpress.com/2013/11/03/bird_migration/

[@noamtashma2859]

Lol I just had the first comment about two minutes ago and deleted it by mistake :-(

[@DavidFugl]

I saw :)

[@Nipponing]

Aww... Idiot.

[@JellybellyWaffles]

Why does it matter so much?

[@noamtashma2859]

JellybellyWaffles it doesn't. I am a big fan of it's okay to be smart, but it's okay to be silly occasionally too.

[@raymeownd]

Well, at least this comment made it as third.

[@TheBlindGeek]

The Economist had a good article about bird navigation last week.

[@erikalee7582]

Isn’t the beginning of the video a copy of mintue earths video? (The video was called Birds that Hibernate in Lakes?!)

[@danielphaley6607]

🌿🌻🌿✌️🌿🌻🌿👍

[@jamesconnolly5164]

When was the stork with the arrow in his/her neck discovered? 1800s?

[@besmart]

James Connolly 1822! Full story of the "pfeilstorch" here: labandfield.wordpress.com/2013/11/03/bird_migration/

[@jamesconnolly5164]

Thanks.

[@joshuahunt3032]

It's Okay To Be Smart That poor stork, it had the worst luck lol

[@ericvanzee6690]

Hi there, Mad Scientist here; have we thought to borrow some of that high oxygen-affinity hemoglobin from those terrific high altitude birds?

[@KareemDaKing]

So where do they go in the winter?🤔

[@Fixided]

What a Lunar-tic!

[@justarandomdudejustarandom8427]

That pun

[@TALKSchools]

We look at those birds every day and do we stop to wonder where they are headed? Answers right here!

[@zenzylok]

The birds of earth are wonderful creatures.

[@nicodemusedwards6931]

For all who say that truth is stranger than fiction... Read all the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

[@Jack-c]

they all come to australia and swoop me

[@Master_Therion]

Are you a goat riding dwarf?

[@celestewright4454]

ya know, we don't know where the birds go, so let's assume they blossom from trees, go to the moon and fight crazy dwarfs on goats. yeah, that makes PERFECT sense!!!!!

[@Barnabas45]

Bird brains are larger than humans!

[@SalmanKhanFTW]

Bird's actually swim :^

[@squidpizza6320]

Some do, but most would drown.

[@SalmanKhanFTW]

They swim in the atmospheric fluid called air.

[@squidpizza6320]

Salman Khan 'Swim' detonates the movement of an organism through water, or sometimes other liquids. Using improper grammar is not the way to appear clever.

[@SalmanKhanFTW]

Nicholas Cuevas you clearly haven't heard of fluid dynamics

[@fongus6420]

When you said "pin the first birdy" my bird started freaking out

[@sqoosh4121]

0:05 LMAO

[@nazninbegum9739]

KSqoosh first comment great person maybe

[@Autom_te]

Do Americans use m for miles? It seems so wrong "7,000m (11,200km)"

[@ltericdavis2237]

Only occasionally. Mostly for speed, as in miles per hour is abbreviated mph, but most of the time it is just stated as miles with no abbreviation.

[@acbeaumo]

You would normally just spell it out, since "m" refers to meters. I'm not sure why they abbreviated it like that in this video.

[@Twosocks42]

If I don't write it out completely, I use mi. So It would be something like, "I had to travel 60mi to get where I was going".

[@MrVoriety]

i usually do mi

[@charliefolkes8060]

+Ninos FL i do it ml

[@999titu]

Ok educated Johnny Knoxville.

[@ProttutponnomotiOfficial]

180k watched and only 2k of them left like to this amazing video. What a shame!

[@cherissestoin2056]

Loonar birds

[@theglasswolf3206]

are you a scientist?

[@TristanPEJ]

So why do the birds return from the hot climates?

[@alwinpriven2400]

TristanPEJ because it becomes winter there.

[@DavidFugl]

second

[@raymeownd]

Actually, you're first.

[@skefsongames]

Is this channel name a play on its okay to be white because thats a bit weird but okay

[@juliannaokike31]

I'm flying the nest one time.

[@Will_Salcedo]

Just another proof that science>religion

[@zdalla3983]

WiLL what does religion have to do with this

[@thebleachseller844]

DUDE don't start another war!

[@morisd5066]

Birds 1 Humans 0

[@BirdBath1]

musk, look at bird bath

[@whitefox9]

Birds go to the Bahamas 😅😅😅😅

[@nigeldupaigel]

You haven't answered the question in the title, buddy.

[@eruditebishop4627]

He bases his episodes off of his jokes.Why why so many bad jokes.

[@jasonlamanset3972]

this guy's hair creeps me out too much to watch this

[@ryanstock7094]

I didn’t notice it until I read this comment. Maybe I should stop reading comments before watching the whole video

[@USPhite]

I see more birds when it's winter. I'm an Asian

[@TheNaughtyPresident]

I've got to be honest here, host Joe Hanson seems to have a air of indignance about him in this video. Exploring the theories of the past and then immediately claiming they are lunacy or far fetched because of what we know today seems counter productive and disrespectful to the very nature of how theories are formed. A real turn off for a video which discusses such an interesting and important topic.

[@Nicoder6884]

I've got to be honest here, you don't need to post that twice.

[@TheNaughtyPresident]

Nicolino Will that's rude

[@mrmister1657]

I AM THE COMPASS

[@xtfragnarox]

Atheist confirmed

[@squidpizza6320]

Bacon confirmed.

[@johnbernhardsson4963]

Aids confirmed.

[@SokarEntertainment]

Femanazism confirmed

[@josephang9927]

As a Christian, I don't find him atheist. At least, not obviously... just because he spoke about myths and ancient wrong beliefs (Hint: a lot of ancient beliefs produced ideas like democracy, so they don't have to be bad). He does not preach atheism or secular philosophy, as pedants like Carl Sagan did (yes, he was a biased pedant and his "science" was also open secular marketing, almost political). There are some so called science divulgators who preach antireligious and anticonservative ideas, but at least this guy is not one of them, wathever he is a Christian or an activist atheist.

[@TheNaughtyPresident]

I've got to be honest here, host Joe Hanson seems to have a air of indignance about him in this video. Exploring the theories of the past and then immediately claiming they are lunacy or far fetched because of what we know today seems counter productive and disrespectful to the very nature of how theories are formed. A real turn off for a video which discusses such an interesting and important topic.