How do birds know which way to migrate without getting lost?

Question

Without my Google maps I’m lost , so when these birds and migrating across countries I find it so baffling !

In: Planetary Science

Answer 1

For birds that migrate in large groups, that year’s fledglings are just along for the ride and they learn the route’s landmarks and stopover points from the adults who have done it before.

Many of these birds have a special organ in their brain that can sense the Earth’s magnetic field so even in heavy cloud cover they can find their way north and south, but the specific path the flock follows is a learned behavior they pass down over generations.

Geese will return to the same exact pond the next year if it was a successful breeding season the year before.