Page 33 - Canadian Geographic

Good data acquisition / Non-stop flight*
Flight arcs on map closely approximate
migration routes
Poorer data acquisition / Multiple flights*
Dotted flight lines are approximations based
on available positional data. Light-sensing
geolocators provide imprecise data for
low-flying birds travelling through forests
and cities, and during equinoxes.
* Bird migration routes are not necessarily those of a single bird, but are
representative of data collected in one or more recent studies.
5
2-h
2-h
h
h
h
Travel east to West Africa
(
(2
5
5
f h
f fli
h
52-hour non-stop f f f fl light
km
op flight
km
52-hour non-stop flight
(2,250 km)
(2,250 km)
W i n t e r A t l a n t i c p u f f i n r a n g e Used by
(2 2
Used by
(2,250
m
m
m three colonies
m)
35-hour non-stop flight (2,250 km)
m)
35-hou ur n n n n non n-st to op f fl l fl f fl f i ig g ig i ig i h h ht t t t (2 2,250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 k k k k km)
m)
two colonies
Linked
breeding
range four colonies
Used by
Used by
Wilson’s warbler one colony
eastern populaton Puffin
colony
Atlantic puffi n
This winter range is based on an eight-year tracking
study, using light-level geolocators, published in 2017
of 270 Atlantic puffi ns from 13 colony groups. Travel
distances from breeding colonies range from under
250 kilometres to more than 1,700. Birds flying
0
0-
shorter distances, such as the Canadian population,
were healthier and more productive.
n
hou
o
no
70-hour non-stop
non s
f i
flig
i
(
p flig
f ig
7
(2 75
2
(2
(2,
70-hour non-stop flight (2,750 km)
flight (2,750 km)
Connecticut warbler/Blackpoll warbler km)
176-hour non-stop flight (6,900 km)
~48-hour non-stop flight (2,500 km)
~48-hour non-stop flight (2,500 km)
These tiny songbirds make mighty non-
stop transatlantic fall migrations from Northern wheatear
Canada’s East Coast and the Northern In 2012, scientists used light-sensing
United States to Hispaniola and other geolocators to track the epic flights of
RICH DIET ~72-hour non-stop flight (3,400 km)
Caribbean islands. Scientists suspected wheatears from Alaska and Nunavut to
this, but confi rmed it with data gathered by sub-Saharan Africa for the first time.
light-sensing geolocators fitted on a Results revealed Canadian birds take a
handful of each species in 2014 and 2016. 7,500-kilometre easterly route to winter in
POOR DIET 15-day multiple stop migration (3,400 km)
Curiously, the birds take predominantly Western Africa, while Alaskan birds go to
overland routes when returning in spring. Eastern Africa via Asia.
Non-stop flight (6,400 km)
CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC 33