Like Learning To Drive: Bird Dads Guide Young On First Migration

Male Caspian terns are not only responsible for leading their young on their first autumn migration to wintering quarters, but they also have an important role in defending their young against possible threats. Here, a young tern (bottom right corner) is seen roosting on a stopover site together with its parent, which is seemingly not happy about the approach of a young common gull. (Petri Hirva)

The males of a migratory bird species not only defend their young from danger but also lead them on their inaugural winter migration.

A team of researchers from Scandinavia and the United Kingdom studied the Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) and published their results in the journal Nature Communications. The Caspian tern is a fish-eating species of water bird that is widely distributed across the world.