Bird Migration Reading Answers

The Bird Migration reading answers cover Questions 14–26 from this IELTS Reading passage. The passage looks at why birds migrate, how they travel such long distances, how they find direction, and why some parts of migration still remain difficult to explain. 

There are 13 questions in this set, including Matching Headings, Multiple Choice, and Sentence Completion. Below, you can read the passage, check the correct answers, and see the explanation for each one without having to guess where the answer came from. 

Bird Migration IELTS Reading Passage 

This Reading Passage in the IELTS exam focuses mainly on why birds migrate, how they manage the long distances they fly at, and the ways that they use to know the right direction.  

Here you will also know a few things that the researchers are still trying to find out but are not sure of those things till date.  

The passage is divided into seven paragraphs, A to G.  

Passage:

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.

Learn all about IELTS Reading Test 

Bird Migration Reading Answers with Explanations 

To answer the questions of this passage, you should be very clear about the main idea and you should also be able to notice the difference in how the same information is written differently in the passage and the question. 

So, while checking the Bird Migration reading answers, pay attention to the clue behind each one. That’s usually where the real learning happens. 

The IELTS Reading Bird Migration answers below cover Questions 14–26 from the passage. 

Each answer includes its location in the text and a short explanation, so you can see how the answer connects back to the passage. 

Questions 14–20: Matching Headings 

For these questions, don’t match a heading just because one or two words look familiar. Read the whole paragraph and ask yourself what it is mainly trying to say. 

Question 14: Which heading matches Paragraph A? 

• Answer: iv – Physical characteristics that allow birds to migrate 
• Answer Location: Paragraph A 
• Explanation: Paragraph A lists several features that make migration possible for birds. Their bones are light, their feathers help with flight, their breathing system works efficiently at high altitudes, and they can store fat for energy. All of these are physical adaptations, so heading iv fits the paragraph best. 

Question 15: Which heading matches Paragraph B? 

• Answer: v – The main reason why birds migrate 
• Answer Location: Paragraph B 
• Explanation: The paragraph gives one clear reason for migration: food. Birds living in colder regions may be able to handle low temperatures, but when food becomes scarce in winter, they have to move somewhere else. That makes heading v the most direct match. 

Question 16: Which heading matches Paragraph C? 

• Answer: ii – The unexplained rejection of closer feeding ground 
• Answer Location: Paragraph C 
• Explanation: The key idea here is that some birds travel much farther than seems necessary. The passage even points out that British swallows could survive in equatorial Africa, yet they continue all the way to South Africa. So, the mystery is why they ignore closer places that could also support them. 

Question 17: Which heading matches Paragraph D? 

• Answer: x – Mysterious migration despite lack of teaching 
• Answer Location: Paragraph D 
• Explanation: Young birds often migrate without being shown the route by their parents. The cuckoo makes this even more surprising because it is raised by another bird species, yet still finds its own wintering area. Since nobody teaches it where to go, heading x captures the main idea well. 

Question 18: Which heading matches Paragraph E? 

• Answer: vii – Research findings on how birds migrate 
• Answer Location: Paragraph E 
• Explanation: This paragraph looks at what researchers have found about bird navigation. Birds can use the sun, stars and the Earth’s magnetic field to guide themselves. Scientists still don’t understand every detail, but the paragraph is clearly centred on what research has discovered so far. 

Question 19: Which heading matches Paragraph F? 

• Answer: i – The best moment to migrate 
• Answer Location: Paragraph F 
• Explanation: This paragraph is mainly about timing. Birds can sense changes in weather and air pressure, which helps them leave before conditions become bad or return when the weather is about to improve. In other words, they seem to know when the right moment to move has arrived. 

Question 20: Which heading matches Paragraph G? 

• Answer: viii – Successful migration despite the trouble of wind 
• Answer Location: Paragraph G 
• Explanation: Paragraph G shows that strong winds can carry birds far away from their usual route. Even then, some still reach Europe safely and later make it back to North America. The focus is not just on wind, but on birds managing the journey despite it. 

Questions 21–22: Multiple Choice 

Question 21–22: Which TWO statements about bird migration are correct? 

A. Birds sometimes travel farther than necessary. 

B. Birds are safer when travelling with their families. 

C. Birds flying at night lose less water. 

D. Birds have much better eyesight than humans. 

E. Only shorebirds can cope with strong winds. 

• Answers: A and C 
• Answer Locations: Paragraph C and Paragraph E 
• Explanation: Option A matches Paragraph C, where the passage says some birds travel much farther than they actually need to. Option C comes from Paragraph E. Flying at night keeps birds out of warm, sunny conditions, so the risk of dehydration is lower. 

Questions 23–26: Sentence Completion 

For these questions, look for the same idea in the passage, even if the wording in the sentence is different. 

Question 23: Young birds such as cuckoos can reach their wintering grounds even without ______. 

• Answer: parental guidance 
• Answer Location: Paragraph D 
• Explanation: The passage points out that young birds can find their traditional wintering areas without their parents leading them there. That idea is written directly as parental guidance, which completes the sentence. 

Question 24: Birds can work out direction like a ______ by using the sun and stars. 

• Answer: compass 
• Answer Location: Paragraph E 
• Explanation: Paragraph E says birds use the positions of the sun and stars to get compass directions. The question shortens that idea and asks what helps them tell direction, so compass is the word that fits. 

Question 25: One benefit of flying at night is avoiding ______. 

• Answer: predators 
• Answer Location: Paragraph E 
• Explanation: The passage gives a few reasons why night travel is useful. One of them is that birds can stay away from predators that are active during the day. That points straight to predators. 

Question 26: Birds can sense changes in the weather even before there are ______ signs. 

• Answer: visible 
• Answer Location: Paragraph F 
• Explanation: Birds can react to a change in weather before humans can see any clear sign of it. The passage uses the word visible for this, which fits naturally before “signs” in the question. 

Also Read: Best IELTS Reading Tips 

How to Solve the Bird Migration IELTS Reading Passage? 

The Bird Migration IELTS Reading passage gets easier when you handle each question type a little differently.  

Don’t try to find the exact words from the question every time, because the passage often says the same thing using different wording. 

Here’s what can help: 

Start with the Matching Headings 

For Questions 14–20, read the headings first and get a rough idea of what each one means. Then read the paragraph and focus on its main point, not one matching word. 

Example: Paragraph C talks about different birds, but the main idea is that some travel much farther than needed even when closer places are available. 

2. Look for the Same Meaning, Not the Same Words 

IELTS often changes the wording in the question. 

Example: 

• Passage: “journey much further than would be necessary” 
• Question: “fly further than they need to” 

The words are different, but they’re saying the same thing. 

3. Use the Passage Order 

Questions 21–26 mostly move forward through the passage. Once you find one answer, look further down for the next one instead of starting from Paragraph A again. 

It saves time. 

4. Check the Passage Before Choosing an Option 

An option may sound correct, but that isn’t enough. You need a line in the passage that actually supports it. 

For example, the passage clearly says night flying lowers the risk of dehydration. That supports the option about birds needing less water at night. 

5. For Sentence Completion, Find the Clue First 

Find the matching line, then choose the word that fits the blank. 

Example: Paragraph D says young birds find their wintering areas “without parental guidance.” That directly gives you the answer. 

6. Don’t Forget the Word Limit 

Check this before writing your answer. 

If the instruction says NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS, don’t write three, even if the meaning is right. 

Example: parental guidance = two words. 

And if two answers seem possible, read the paragraph once more. Usually, one fits only a small detail while the other matches the actual idea. 

Read More:   Today IELTS Reading Passage  Designed to Last IELTS Reading Answers  A Neuroscientist Shows How to Think Differently IELTS Reading Answers

Common Mistakes in the Bird Migration Reading Passage 

A few questions in this passage are easy to get wrong even when you understand the text. Most mistakes happen because the options look similar, or because the question uses different words for the same idea. 

• Picking a heading from one keyword: Seeing words like “wind,” “weather” or “migration” can be misleading. A heading has to match the whole paragraph, not one line in it. 
• Missing paraphrasing: The question and passage often use different words for the same idea. If you search only for an exact phrase, you can easily miss the answer. 
• Mixing up reason and destination: The passage talks about both why birds migrate and where they go. These sound related, but they aren’t answering the same thing. 
• Skipping over the cuckoo example: Paragraph D matters for more than one question. The important point is that young cuckoos can still find their wintering grounds even without their parents guiding them. 
• Using outside knowledge: An option may sound true based on what you already know about birds. That doesn’t make it the IELTS answer. It still needs to be supported by the passage. 
• Ignoring the word limit: This is an easy mark to lose. Before filling any blank, check how many words the instruction allows and stick to it. 
• Treating an example as the main point: Matching Headings questions do this a lot. A paragraph may give several examples, but the correct heading usually covers the bigger idea connecting all of them. 

The easiest way to avoid these errors is to slow down a little when two answers seem possible. Go back to the paragraph, check the main idea, and then choose. 

Conclusion 

The Bird Migration reading answers are easier to understand once you know where each answer comes from. This passage mainly tests whether you can catch the main idea, notice paraphrasing, and find specific details without getting distracted by similar-looking options. 

While practising, don’t stop at checking whether your answer is right or wrong. Go back to the paragraph and see what clue you missed. That small habit can make similar IELTS Reading questions much easier the next time. 

If you’re preparing for IELTS and want more help with Reading passages, practice questions, or your overall test strategy, you can also connect with upGrad experts for a free 1:1 session.