How birds map their migration route

How do young birds know where to migrate? ~ East Lansing

Some birds like blackbirds and geese travel in large flocks. Older birds can recognize visual landmarks on the landscape.

Image via Wikipedia 

However, the smallest intercontinental migrant, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, migrates alone. The young birds begin their journey south for the first time after all the adult males and females have departed.

Like other birds that fly solo, they have to depend on a genetically inherited mental map to find the favorable winter grounds hundreds or thousand of miles away from Michigan.

Related articles by Wild Birds Unlimited Mid-Michigan:

• The Hummingbirds Are Very Hungry!: When to Take Down Your Hummingbird Feeders
• How Do I Know If It's a Baby Hummingbird?
• Do Hummingbirds Migrate on the Backs of Geese?