Migration by the Numbers At least 40 percent of all bird species are migratory. In North America more than 300 bird species migrate. Here are just a few amazing facts about the planets migratory marvels: High flyers — Bar-headed geese routinely traverse the Indian Himalayas, reaching altitudes of nearly 30,000 feet. Far flyers — Arctic Terns are the globetrotting champs. Their annual round-trip transit amounts to nearly 50,000 miles per year. Fast flyers — Great Snipes routinely maintain speeds of 60 mph or more on their 4200-mile migrations. And that’s without tailwinds. Tireless flyers — the Bar-tailed Godwit exhibits world spanning feats of non-stop flight, able to cover 7,000 miles across the central Pacific without food or rest. Fat flyers — feats of migration take a lot of calories, and birds often gorge themselves in preparation for the journey. Blackpoll Warblers, for instance, nearly double their body weight before embarking on their nonstop 2300-mile trip. National Audubon Society
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 14:16:56 +0000
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