Small piece of housekeeping before we dive in. After several late night seances with the ghost of Steve Jobs, we have finally managed to strike a deal with Apple to get the Bird of the Week podcast listed on their platform. So, if Apple is your poison of choice, you can now get your bird fix here. And now, on with this week’s bird.
Today is an auspicious day on the birding calendar: it is world migratory bird day. So, it’s only fitting to pay homage to the reigning long distance migratory champ, the Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea).
But if you ask me, the name is a tab misleading, because they don’t just live in the Arctic, but also the Antarctic … and I guess every stretch of sea in between the two. Really, they’re the World Tern, but let’s not get hung up on that.
“Arctic Tern scrap” by Smudge 9000
These little birds are astounding migrators. Each year they fly from their breeding grounds in the Arctic all the way to the Antarctic, and then they turn around and do it all over again. They’re an animal that has never experienced a single winter in their life, and they also hold the record for seeing the most annual hours of sunlight. But just how far do these little birds fly? Well, the straight-line journey from pole to pole is 19,000Km, but the Arctic Tern is a big fan of taking the scenic route. To take advantage of prevailing winds, they end up following convoluted migratory paths, and a single journey can end up being closer to 80,000Km.
The Arctic Tern is also a long-lived bird, and in an average lifetime they can clock up some 2.5 million kilometres on the wing. That’s like doing a round trip journey from the Earth to the Moon … three times!
The Arctic Tern is also a scrappy little fighter. Their breeding grounds in the high north are commonly frequented by all sorts of predators, from foxes and seals to feral cats. But Arctic Tern don’t take kindly to that. Despite their small size, then will take on any foe, swooping and picking at the back of their enemy’s head. Doing this they have been known to even repel Polar Bears. Or in this case, one rather oblivious sheep.
Because of this, many timid birds have been known to nest along-side them to take advantage of the neighbourhood security watch they offer. So I guess sometimes it helps to have agro neighbours.
08/05/2021
Bird of the Week 