Why do birds fly so low to the ground when crossing roads? Whenever I’m driving they fly right in front of my car when they could fly at any other height?

Question

Why do birds fly so low to the ground when crossing roads? Whenever I’m driving they fly right in front of my car when they could fly at any other height?

In: Biology

Answer 1

I can say this for ducks and geese at least from years of observation. Birds fly at a height dependent on how far they intend to go. For short distances they may only fly 10-50′ high. If they are going to the golf course three miles away, they fly much higher to observe the terrain and follow the roads and so forth. If they were migrating south, they would fly even much higher. Most birds are not flying far so they fly minimum height. Yes, birds can crash into things that are stationary too, not just vehicles.