Migration of Birds (1950)Lincoln, Frederick Charles
Science
Migration of Birds (1950)
Lincoln, Frederick Charles
Birds; Birds -- Migration
Many species of wading and swimming birds migrate either by day or
night, as they are able to feed at all hours, and are not accustomed
to seek safety in concealment. Some diving birds, including ducks
that submerge when in danger, sometimes travel over water by day and
over land at night. The day migrants include, in addition to some
of the ducks and geese, the loons, cranes, gulls, pelicans, hawks,
swallows, nighthawks, and the swifts. All of these are strong-winged
birds. The swifts, swallows, and nighthawks (sometimes called
bullbats) feed entirely on flying insects, and use their short,
weak feet and legs only for grasping a perch during periods of rest
or sleep. Thus they feed as they travel, the circling flocks being
frequently seen in late summer working gradually southward. Years ago
before birds of prey were so thoughtlessly slaughtered, great flocks
of red-tailed. Swainson's, and rough-legged hawks might be seen
wheeling majestically across the sky in the Plains States, and in the
East the flights of broad-winged. Cooper's, and sharp-skinned hawks
are still occasionally seen. To the birds of prey and possibly to the
gulls also, a day's fasting now and then is no hardship, particularly
since they frequently gorge themselves to repletion when opportunity
is afforded.
[Illustration: _Figure 3._--Migration of the cliff swallow, a day
migrant that instead of flying across the Caribbean Sea as does the
blackpolled warbler (see fig. 6), follows around the coast of Central
America, where food is readily obtained. (See p. 25.)]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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