Although no one is certain why migration occurs, there are several theories. One theory is based upon the premise that prehistoric bird of the Northern Hemisphere were forced south Jarring the Ice Age, when glaciers covered large parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. As the glaciers melted, the birds came back to their homelands, spent the summer, and than went south again as the ice advanced in winter. In time, the migration became a habit, and now, although the glaciers have disappeared, the habit continues.
Another theory proposes that the ancestral home of all modern birds was the tropics. When the
Region became overpopulated, many species were crowded north . During the summer, there as plenty of food, but during the winter, scarcity forced them to return to the tropics.
A more recent theory, known as photoperiodism, suggests a relationship between increasing
Daylight and the stimulation of certain glands in the birds’ bodies that may prepare them for migration. One scientist has been able to cause midwinter migrations by exposing birds to artificial periods of daylight. He has concluded that changes occur in the bodies of birds due to seasonal changes in the length of daylight 36. According to one theory, when the glaciers disappeared, birds