Back   Estimating Migration Rate How Many Miles a Day Do Rubythroats Travel?

About how many miles per day does the ruby-throated hummingbird migration travel? Here's one way to figure out the answer: The degrees of latitude traveled x 69 miles per degree of latitude = Number of miles traveled that month. The total number of miles traveled divided by 28 days = The average number of miles traveled per day. Most scientists say that the spring rubythroat migration moves northward at about 20 to 25 miles per day. Discussion and Journaling Questions How does your estimate compare with the scientists' estimate? What part of this activity was most difficult for you? How might it influence your final answer? What are some other ways we can estimate the pace of the migration? (Remember, the more data you have, the more accurate you can be!) See one example under Digging Deeper, below. Do you think the migration moved the same distance each day or week? If not, what might have affected its speed and distance? What Affects the Migration's Pace? Many factors influence how far the migration moves on any given day or week. These include temperatures, weather fronts, winds, and geographic features, such as mountains. Hummingbirds can "weather" a lot (except tough headwinds), but some of these can affect insects and flowers, which are important hummingbird food sources! Digging Deeper How Many Miles Per Day Does the Migration Travel? Keeping Track Through the Season Search Journey North Copyright 1997-2012 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Questions or comments? Contact us.