The Mystery of Bird Migration Reading Answers

Jan 24, 2023

The Mystery of Bird Migration Reading Answers is an academic reading topic and a discussion about the migration of birds. The given IELTS topic has been taken from the book named “E-ENG-school IELTS Reading Test With Answers Key (New Edition)”. The topic named The Mystery of Bird Migration Reading Answers comes with a wide range of 13 questions in total. Three different sorts of questions as included in this topic are, choose the correct heading, choose the correct letter, and compete the following sentences. The candidates should thoroughly skim through the IELTS reading passage in order to identify the keywords and recognize the synonyms and then answer accordingly. IELTS reading practice papers can be taken into consideration in order to obtain a good score in the reading section, where similar topics like The Mystery of Bird Migration Reading Answers has been included.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

The Mystery of Bird Migration Reading Answers

A. Birds have many unique design features that enable them to perform such amazing feats of endurance. They are equipped with lightweight, hollow bones, intricately designed feathers providing both lift and thrust for rapid flight, navigation systems superior to any that man has developed, and an ingenious heat conserving design that, among other things, concentrates all blood circulation beneath layers of warm, waterproof plumage, leaving them fit to face life in the harshest of climates. Their respiratory systems have to perform efficiently during sustained flights at altitude, so they have a system of extracting oxygen from their lungs that far exceeds that of any other animal. During the later stages of the summer breeding season, when food is plentiful, their bodies can accumulate considerable layers of fat, to provide sufficient energy for their long migratory flights.

B. The fundamental reason that birds migrate is to find adequate food during the winter months when it is in short supply. This particularly applies to birds that breed in the temperate and Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where food is abundant during the short growing season. Many species can tolerate cold temperatures if food is plentiful, but when food is not available, they must migrate. However, intriguing questions remain.

C. One puzzling fact is that many birds journey much further than would be necessary just to find food and good weather. Nobody knows, for instance, why British swallows, which could presumably survive equally well if they spent the winter in equatorial Africa, instead of fly several thousands of miles further to their preferred winter home in South Africa’s Cape Province. Another mystery involves the huge migrations performed by arctic terns and mudflat-feeding shorebirds that breed close to Polar Regions. In general, the further north a migrant species breeds, the further south it spends the winter. For arctic terns, this necessitates an annual round trip of 25,000 miles. Yet, en route to their final destination in far-flung southern latitudes, all these individuals overfly other areas of seemingly suitable habitat spanning two hemispheres. While we may not fully understand birds’ reasons for going to particular places, we can marvel at their feats.

D. One of the greatest mysteries is how young birds know how to find the traditional wintering areas without parental guidance. Very few adults migrate with juveniles in tow, and youngsters may even have little or no inkling of their parents’ appearance. A familiar example is that of the cuckoo, which lays its eggs in another species’ nest and never reencounters its young. It is mind-boggling to consider that, once raised by its host species, the young cuckoo makes its way to ancestral wintering grounds in the tropics before returning single-handedly to northern Europe the next season to seek out a mate among its kind. The obvious implication is that it inherits from its parents an inbuilt route map and direction-finding capability, as well as a mental image of what another cuckoo looks like. Yet nobody has the slightest idea as to how this is possible.

E. Mounting evidence has confirmed that birds use the positions of the sun and stars to obtain compass directions. They also seem to be able to detect the earth’s magnetic field, probably due to having minute crystals of magnetite in the region of their brains. However, accurate navigation also requires an awareness of position and time, especially when lost. Experiments have shown that after being taken thousands of miles over an unfamiliar landmass, birds are still capable of returning rapidly to nest sites. Such phenomenal powers are the product of computing several sophisticated cues, including an inborn map of the night sky and the pull of the earth’s magnetic field. How the birds use their ‘instruments’ remains unknown, but one thing is clear: they see the world with a superior sensory perception to ours. Most small birds migrate at night and take their direction from the position of the setting sun. However, as well as seeing the sun go down, they also seem to see the plane of polarized light caused by it, which calibrates their compass. Travelling at night provides other benefits. Daytime predators are avoided and the danger of dehydration due to flying for long periods in warm, sunlit skies is reduced. Furthermore, at night the air is generally cool and less turbulent and so conducive to sustained, stable flight.

F. Nevertheless, all journeys involve considerable risk, and part of the skill in arriving safely is setting off at the right time. This means accurate weather forecasting and utilizing favourable winds. Birds are adept at both, and, in laboratory tests, some have been shown to detect the minute difference in barometric pressure between the floor and ceiling of a room. Often birds react to weather changes before there is any visible sign of them. Lapwings, which feed on grassland, flee west from the Netherlands to the British Isles, France, and Spain at the onset of a cold snap. When the ground surface freezes, the birds could starve. Yet they return to Holland ahead of a thaw, their arrival linked to a pressure change presaging an improvement in the weather.

G. In one instance a Welsh Manx shearwater carried to America and released was back in its burrow on Skokholm Island, off the Pembrokeshire coast, one day before a letter announcing its release! Conversely, each autumn a small number of North American birds are blown across the Atlantic by fast-moving westerly tailwinds. Not only do they arrive safely in Europe, but, based on ringing evidence, some make it back to North America the following spring, after probably spending the winter with European migrants in sunny African climes.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 14-20
Reading passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-x, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet

List of headings

The best moment to migrate
The unexplained rejection of closer feeding ground
The influence of weather on the migration route
Physical characteristics that allow birds to migrate
The main reason why birds migrate
The best wintering grounds for birds
Research findings on how birds migrate
Successful migration despite the trouble of wind
The contrast between long-distance migration and short-distance migration
Mysterious migration despite lack of teaching

Guide: Candidates need to match the headings with the given statements)

Solutions

14.

Answer: option iv
Supporting Sentence:They are equipped with lightweight, hollow bones, intricately designed feathers providing both lift and thrust for rapid flight, navigation systems superior to any that man has developed, and an
ingenious heat conserving design that, among other things, concentrates all blood circulation beneath layers of warm, waterproof plumage, leaving them fit to face life in the harshest of climates.
Keyword: lightweight, hollow bones, intricately designed feathers
Keyword location: Paragraph A, lines 1-3
Explanation: Lines 1-3 of paragraph A suggest some physical features of birds. It is stated that they are usually flimsy, delicate, vacant bones. They also have complex and knotty designed feathers which help them to lift and thrust for quick travel through the air. A remarkable heat-saving design that, among other things, concentrates all blood circulation beneath layers of warm, waterproof plumage. It allows them to live in the harshest of environments. So, option iv will be the right option here, as the characteristic features for a bird to migrate have been discussed here.

15.

Answer: Option v
Supporting Sentence: The fundamental reason that birds migrate is to find adequate food during the winter months when it is in short supply.
Keyword: fundamental reason, short supply, food
Keyword location: Paragraph B, line 1
Explanation: Line 1 of paragraph B says about the main reason for the migration of birds. It implies that the major reason for the migration of birds is to search adequate and sufficient amount of food at the month of winter, when there is a shortage of foods. This is especially true for birds that breed in the Northern Hemisphere's temperate and Arctic regions. It is the place where food is abundant during the short growing season. Thus, option v is the correct answer here as it states about the the vital reason why the birds usually migrate.

16.

Answer: option ii
Supporting Sentence: Another mystery involves the huge migrations performed by arctic terns and mudflat-feeding shorebirds that breed close to Polar Regions.
Keyword: mystery, migration
Keyword location: Paragraph C, lines 1-3
Explanation: The first three lines of paragraph C says that nobody understands why British swallows, who could potentially thrive equally well if they spent the winter in equatorial Africa. It would fly several thousands of miles further to their favourite winter home in South Africa's Cape Province. Another puzzle surrounds the extensive migrations made by shorebirds that breed near to the poles and arctic terns that forage on mudflats. Hence, option ii is the right answer, as it states about the mystery of mudflat-feeding birds migrating to the polar region.

17.

Answer: option x
Supporting Sentence: One of the greatest mysteries is how young birds know how to find the traditional wintering areas without parental guidance.
Keyword: greatest mysteries, parental guidance
Keyword location: Paragraph D, line 1
Explanation: The first line of paragraph D suggests that one of the greatest puzzles is how young birds know how to identify customary wintering places without parental supervision. Few adults travel with children in tow, and children may even have little to no awareness of their parents' physical characteristics. A well-known example is the cuckoo, which deposits its eggs in the nest of another species and never sees its young again. Hence, option x is the right choice here, as it states about the unexpected migration of birds despite lack of teaching.

18.

Answer: option vii
Supporting Sentence: Mounting evidence has confirmed that birds use the positions of the sun and stars to obtain compass directions.
Keyword: evidence, detect
Keyword location: Paragraph E, lines 1-2
Explanation: The first two lines of paragraph E depicts that the mounting evidence suggests that birds utilize the locations of the sun and stars to determine compass directions. Additionally, they appear to be able to sense the earth's magnetic field. It is possibly because their brains contain tiny magnetite crystals. However, accurate navigation also necessitates a sense of place and time, particularly when they were lost. Thus, option vii will be the correct option here, as it states about the research findings of the procedure of the migration of birds.

19.

Answer: option i
Supporting Sentence: Lapwings, which feed on grassland, flee west from the Netherlands to the British Isles, France, and Spain at the onset of a cold snap.
Keyword: Lapwings, grassland, onset, cold snap
Keyword location: Paragraph F, lines 2-3
Explanation: The second and fourth lines of paragraph F suggests that birds frequently react to weather changes before they become evident. When a cold front arrives, lapwings, which eat grassland, migrate from the Netherlands to the British Isles, France, and Spain. So, option i is the correct answer, as it explains about the best timings when the birds usually migrate.

20.

Answer: option viii
Supporting Sentence: Not only do they arrive safely in Europe, but, based on ringing evidence, some make it back to North America the following spring, after probably spending the winter with European migrants in sunny
African climes.
Keyword: arrive, safely, evidence, sunny African climes
Keyword location: Paragraph G, lines 2-3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph G implies that in disparity, each autumn, a tiny number of North American birds are blasted across the Atlantic by fast-moving westerly tailwinds. They not only make it to Europe without incident, but there is compelling evidence that some of them return to the United States the following spring, having likely spent the winter with European migrants in warm African climates. Thus, option viii is the right choice for this question, as it clearly states about the successful migration of birds despite the climatic conditions.

Questions 21-22

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Write the correct letters in your answer sheet Which TWO of the following statements are true of bird migration?

Birds often fly further than they need to.
Birds travelling in family groups are safe.
Birds flying at night need less water.
Birds have much sharper eyesight than humans.
Only shorebirds are resistant to strong winds.

(Guide: Candidates need to select two correct answers from A to E as a response)

21.

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: One puzzling fact is that many birds journey much further than would be necessary just to find food and good weather.
Keyword: birds journey, much further, than would be necessary
Keyword location: Paragraph C, line 1
Explanation: Line 1 of paragraph C implies that one of the greatest mysteries is how young birds know where to go in the winter without parental direction. Few adults travel with children in tow, and children may even have little to no awareness of their parents' physical characteristics. A well-known example is the cuckoo, which deposits its eggs in the nest of another species and never sees its young again. Thus, option A will be an appropriate choice for the above mentioned question.

22.

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Furthermore, at night the air is generally cool and less turbulent and so conducive to sustained, stable flight.
Keyword: traveling at night, danger of dehydration, air is generally cool
Keyword location: Paragraph E, lines 6-7
Explanation: The sixth ti seventh lines of paragraph E explains that traveling at night has various advantages. Predators that hunt throughout the day are avoided, and the risk of dehydration from prolonged flight in warm, sunny skies is diminished. Additionally, the air is typically cooler and less turbulent at night, making it ideal for long-distance, stable flight. Therefore, these lines implies about the another feature of the migration of birds. Hence, option C is the another correct answer.

Question 23-26

Complete the sentences below using NO MORE THAN ONE WORD OR NUMBER from the passage.

Write your answers in your answer sheet

It is a great mystery that young birds like cuckoos can find their wintering grounds without………….
Evidence shows birds can tell directions like a…………..by observing the sun and the stars.
One advantage for birds flying at night is that they can avoid contact with ……………………….
Laboratory tests show that birds can detect weather without……………..signs.

(Guide: Candidates need to fill in the blanks by choosing not more than one word or number from the passage)

23.

Answer: parental guidance
Supporting Sentence: One of the greatest mysteries is how young birds know how to find the traditional wintering areas without parental guidance.
Keyword: wintering areas, parental guidance
Keyword location: Paragraph D
Explanation: Paragraph D explains that the ability of young birds to locate the typical wintering locations without parental assistance is one of nature's greatest mysteries. Few individuals travel with young children, and sometimes children have no idea what their parents look like at all.

24.

Answer: Compass
Supporting Sentence: Mounting evidence has confirmed that birds use the positions of the sun and stars to obtain compass directions.
Keyword: mounting evidence, positions of the sun, compass directions
Keyword location: Paragraph E
Explanation: The beginning words of paragraph E contain the answer to this query. According to these theories, birds can determine compass direction and migrate by using the location of the sun and stars.

25.

Answer: Predators
Supporting Sentence: Daytime predators are avoided and the danger of dehydration due to flying for long periods in warm, sunlit skies is reduced.
Keyword: daytime predators
Keyword location: Paragraph E
Explanation: Paragraph E implies that the predators that hunt during the day are avoided, and flying for extended periods in warm, sunny skies reduces the risk of dehydration.

26.

Answer: Visible
Supporting Sentence: Often birds react to weather change before there is any visible sign of them.
Keyword: visible sign
Keyword location: Paragraph F
Explanation: Paragraph F elaborates to us that the birds frequently respond to changes in the weather before they become obvious.