Before winter comes, many different kinds of birds head south. How do they know when to migrate?↵
How do they know where to go? People have wondered about migration since ancient times.↵
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Why do birds migrate?↵
They fly south because they can't get enough food in winter.↵
They feed on seeds and insects, but the food disappears in winter.↵
So, they have to migrate to find food more easily. Then, does every bird migrate?↵
Not all birds migrate. Some birds don't need to migrate because they can find insects in the trees.↵
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How far do birds travel?↵
They usually move hundreds of kilometers. One of the longest travelers is the hummingbird.↵
This small bird travels more than 3,200 kilometers from Canada to Mexico.↵
Some birds are lucky to move only a few kilometers over the mountains.↵
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How do birds find their way?↵
Usually birds use the sun as a compass.↵
The sun is in different places in the sky at different times of the day.↵
They use this information to decide where to fly.↵
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After the sun sets, they use the stars. Some birds use the magnetic field of the earth.↵
Others use the smell of the sea or the sound of waves as a guide.↵
Amazingly, most birds follow the same course year after year.↵
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What are some of the dangers to migrating birds?↵
Some birds are caught in storms and are driven off course.↵
Sometimes they are hunted by other animals.↵
However, human activities are the number one danger to migrating birds.↵
Many wetlands are disappearing because of people.↵
Many birds are losing places to live in winter.↵
City lights are sometimes very bright, so migrating birds can lose their way.↵
Many birds are also hunted for food or sport.

Once a small bird, Twitter, lived in the forest.↵
He always sang, "T-t-t-witt! T-t-t-witt!"↵
One day, he had a chance to listen to the songs of the other birds.↵
Their music sounded beautiful.↵
So, he decided to change his song.↵
After Twitter listened to another bird's song, he repeated it exactly, "Ta-weee! Ta-weee!"↵
Some time later, Skye, the blue bird, came to him and asked,↵
"Is that really you, Twitter? You don't sound like yourself."↵
"I decided to sing like Kiwi today," answered Twitter.↵
"Tomorrow I want to sing like Sparrow. Skye, I can sing like you!"↵
Twitter tried to sing like Skye but coughed a lot.↵
"That was good!" Skye said.↵
"But I want you to sing in your own way. Your song is more beautiful."↵
"Really?" Twitter said, "Singing like other birds hurts my throat. Thank you, my friend. I'll change my song back to my old one!"↵
From then on, Twitter always sang in his own lovely voice, "T-t-t-witt! T-t-t-witt!"↵
Once again the forest was full of beautiful songs from all the different birds.

In order to have a happy family, it is important to understand your family.↵
Here are some suggestions.↵
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1. Spend time together.↵
If you do things together and have fun together, you can better understand your family.↵
So plan some family time, like going to the movies or eating out together.↵
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2. Respect your family.↵
Never get angry if your family member has a different opinion to you.↵
Make everyone have a turn to talk.↵
If you feel upset with someone, talk to the person and try to solve it in a calm way.↵
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3. Help each other.↵
When you see your brothers, sisters or parents need help, help them.↵
Do some housework for your parents and help your little brother do his homework.