Hilpoltstein (dpa / lby) - Despite high summer temperatures, some of the migratory birds have already made their way towards winter quarters - that's why there is already less bird song to be heard, as the State Association for Bird Protection (LBV) announced on Wednesday in Hilpoltstein.
"While we are still sweating and enjoying the summer, the bird world is already preparing for winter," said LBV biologist Angelika Nelson. In northern and central Europe, the annual breeding season is over. "The birds no longer loudly defend their territories, but retreat to renew their plumage," explained the expert. Some birds, like the swifts, have already made the long journey south.
According to expert estimates, more than 50 million migratory birds leave their breeding grounds in Germany every year. According to the LBV, cuckoos and swifts are among the first birds to leave for Africa at the beginning of August. There they will overwinter south of the Sahara - "many thousands of kilometers and millions of wing beats away," said Nelson. The starting impetus for the departure is therefore given, among other things, by the already decreasing length of the day and the dwindling food supply.
