Page 29 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

MIGRATION

GLOBETROTTERS
Waders and wildfowl are amazing travellers but so are some
small, familiar birds. For example, Swallows from the United
Kingdom travel to the far south of Africa in winter.Barnacle
Geese fly north in spring to breed around the Arctic.Such
birds that breed in the far north remain in the south till late
in May,when the Arctic snows begin to melt.The map
below shows three examples of long-distance migration.

ARCTIC OCEAN Franz Joseph Island DASH FOR THE NORTH
The Arctic Tern is one of the
greatest globetrotters. It breeds in
Greenland Svalbard Novaya Zemlya
24 hours of daylight in the Arctic,
Jan Mayan KARA SEA then spends the northern winter
BARENTS SEA
in 24-hour daylight, flying over
southern oceans before making
the journey north again.
Iceland
NORTH SWEEPING SOUTH
ATLANTIC West Europe is on the
great East Atlantic flyway,
Europe which is a migration route
BLACK SEA for birds from vast areas
Azores CASPIAN of the Arctic and northern
SEA Europe. The path of
Madeira
ATLANTIC MEDITERRANEAN SEA waders such as Knots
OCEAN Canary Islands makes a huge sweep
southwards, emptying
Sahara Desert
KEY regions on both sides of
Cape Verde Arctic the Atlantic in autumn.
Islands Africa Terns
Knots
Fieldfares
South America
WINTER WANDERERS
Fieldfares move south and west in
winter to avoid cold weather. In
SOUTH midwinter they may be forced to
ATLANTIC travel further still if there is severe
cold or snow, but they return
as soon as conditions improve.
Several species are nomadic,
2,000km wandering wherever there is
food during the winter months.
2,000 miles
PARTIAL MIGRANTS
Some species are resident, remaining summer
in the same area all year round. range
Others are what are called partial
migrants.This means that part of the resident
the species population is resident, all year
inhabiting an area that can sustain
them year round, while the other MEADOW PIPIT
part lives in less hospitable areas and Meadow Pipits are summer visitors in some
so needs to migrate south during areas, resident in others. Those that breed
the winter months to find food. winter range seen on migration in the north go south for winter (see map).

27