Part 1

Transcriber Note

Text emphasis denoted by =Bold= and Italics.

+---------------------------------------------------------+ | UNITED STATES | | DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE | | | | CIRCULAR No. 363 | | | +---------------------------------------------------------+ | Washington, D. C. October 1935 | +---------------------------------------------------------+ | | | | | THE MIGRATION | | OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS | | | | | | By | | FREDERICK C. LINCOLN | | | | Senior Biologist in Charge, Section of Distribution | | and Migration of Birds Division of Wildlife Research, | | Bureau of Biological Survey | | | | | | [Illustration] | | | | | +---------------------------------------------------------+

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. Washington, D. C. -- Price 10 cents

CIRCULAR No. 363 OCTOBER 1935 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON, D.C.

THE MIGRATION OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS

By Frederick C. Lincoln, senior biologist, in charge Section of Distribution and Migration of Birds, Division of Wildlife Research, Bureau of Biological Survey

CONTENTS

Page

Introduction 1

Mystery of migration 3 Historical accounts 3 Advantages of migration 4 Theories of causes of migration 5

When birds migrate 7 Movements of species and groups 8 Nocturnal and diurnal migration 11

How birds migrate 13 Speed of flight andspeed of migration 13 Altitudes at which birds travel 22 Orientation 23 Segregation during migration 25

Where birds migrate 27 Distances of migration vary 27 Short and undetermined migration 27 Variable migrations wi thin species 28 Fall flights not far south of breeding ranges 29 Long-distance migrations 30

Routes of migration 33 Wide and narrow migration lanes 34 Atlantic oceanic route 39 Atlantic coast route and tributaries 42 Mackenzie Valley-Great Lakes-Mississippi Valley route and tributaries 45 Pacific coast route 47 Pacific oceanic route 49 Arctic routes 52

Evolution of migration routes 52

Vertical migration 55

Vagrant migration 55

Perils of migration 56 Storms 56 Aerial obstructions 57 Exhaustion 59

Influence of the weather on migration 59

Problems of migration 61 Banding studies 61 Movements of residents 62 Migration of the white-throated sparrow 63 Migration of the yellow-billed loon 63

Conclusions 65

Bibliography 66

Index 69

=INTRODUCTION=

Where do the birds go each fall that have nested in our dooryards and frequented the neighboring woods, hills, and marshes? Will the same ones return again to their former haunts next spring? What dangers do they face on their round-trip flight and in their winter homes? These and other questions on the migratory habits of birds puzzle the minds of many who are interested in the feathered species, whether it be the farmer who profits by their tireless warfare against the weed and insect pests of his crops, the bird student who enjoys an abundance and variety of feathered inhabitants about him, or the hunter who wants a continuation from year to year of the sport of wild-fowling. Lack of information on the subject may mean the loss of an important resource by unconsciously letting it slip from us. Ignorance of the facts may be responsible for inadequate legal protection for such species as may urgently need it. More general knowledge on the subject will aid in the perpetuation of the various migrants, the seasonal habitats of some of which are in grave danger from man's utilization, sometimes unwisely, of the marsh, water, and other areas they formerly frequented.

The migrations of birds were probably among the first natural phenomena to attract the attention and intrigue the imagination of man. Recorded observations on the subject date back nearly 3,000 years, to the times of Hesiod, Homer, Herodotus, Aristotle, and others. In the Bible are several references to the periodic movements of birds, as in the book of Job (39:26), where the inquiry is made: "Doth the hawk fly by Thy wisdom and stretch her wings toward the south?" Jeremiah (8:7), wrote: "The stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed time; and the turtle , and the crane, and the swallow, observe the time of their coming." And the flight of quail that saved the Israelites from starvation in their wanderings in the wilderness of Sinai is now recognized as a vast movement of migratory quail (Coturnix coturnix) between their breeding grounds and their winter home in Africa.

Throughout the ages the return flights of migratory birds have been important (1) as a source of food after a lean winter, and (2) as the harbinger of a change in season. The arrival of certain species has been heralded with appropriate ceremonies in many lands, and among Eskimo and other tribes the phenomenon to this day is the accepted sign of the imminence of spring and of warmer weather. The pioneer fur traders in Alaska and Canada offered rewards to the Indian or Eskimo who saw the first goose of the spring, and all joined in jubilant welcome to the newcomer.