Migrating birds travel faster in spring: Study

The study, published in the journal The Auk: Ornithological Advances showed that migrating birds travel faster in spring than in fall because arriving late to their breeding grounds can affect their reproductive success.Past studies have shown that migrants take shorter breaks in spring, but it's harder to tell whether they also move faster in the air. When the researchers used high-tech weather surveillance radars operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Defense, US, on migrating birds, they found that birds indeed flew faster in spring and compensated more for crosswinds that could blow them off course.