Arctic terns look like small seagulls. They have long, swept-back wings and tails, with black caps and bright red beaks. They weigh no more than a lime. Like many birds, they are migrating, moving south to escape the coming winter. Every year, these tiny birds will fly across the world, all the way from the Arctic to Antarctica.
In September, cold winds start to blow. The Arctic summer is ending. Soon the snow and ice will return, and there will be little food to eat. The terns leave their Arctic nesting grounds, departing at sunset. Under the stars, they fly over the dark sea.
The terns swoop low over the waves and dive for fish. In some places, the ocean is filled with food. In others, there is little to eat, so they keep flying south. Their light bodies, largely all feathers, allow them to travel without much need for rest. On and on they fly, across the wide, wide Atlantic Ocean.
One day the terns encounter a flock of gulls. The larger gulls chase young terns and steal their food. Later a storm blows the terns off course. But if the weather is calm, then the wind helps the colony travel fast and far.
In October and November, the Arctic terns arrive in Antarctica, just in time for the southern summer. The sun shines day and night. In May most of the colony will return north for the Arctic summer.
The Arctic terns complete the longest migration of any animal on earth. The scientists learned that the birds flew 44,000 miles each year, much farther than anyone had thought. Since terns can live to be over thirty years old, that’s a lot of frequent flier miles. “If you add that up over the course of their lifetime, that’s like flying to the moon and back three times,” said Iain Stenhouse, a marine bird expert with the Biodiversity Research Institute in Maine. The Arctic tern, a tiny bird, makes extraordinary migration!
Activities:
1. According to this selection, when do the Arctic terns start and finish their journey? Do you think what might help their long-distance migration?
2. Suppose the Arctic terns live about thirty-four years. They don’t migrate until they are two years old. Please estimate the total distance each Arctic tern flew during its lifetime.
3. The Arctic terns are beautiful tiny birds. Can you draw several flying Arctic terns? Watch the videos to learn more about them.
