Navigation skills for these birds must be inherited rather than learned. Not only do birds manage to cross thousands of miles to their wintering grounds, they can return with amazing precision to the same woodlot or even the same backyard bird feeder year after year. Over 50 years of research has explored many possible mechanisms of navigation from topographical maps to celestial navigation and detection of the earth's magnetic field. It is difficult to get a clear picture of navigation because experimental results for one species cannot reliably be extended to others. Much experimental work on navigation and orientation has concentrated on homing pigeons, a non-migratory species.
Most birds probably employ a combination of systems.
A bird that normally relies on celestial clues may orient by wind direction on an overcast night. There is still much work to be done in understanding avian navigation. Click here to learn more about the mechanisms of navigation . If a bird has feathers and is able to hop but can't fly, it is called a fledgling and should be left alone. The bird should be returned to a bush as near as possible to where it was first found.