Three Migratory Birds to Look For

Whether you hunt them or not these migratory birds are of interest to every hunter. I thought it would be helpful for any hunter to be aware of these three migratory birds.


Arctic Tern

They are medium-sized birds. They have a length 28-39 cm. Their wingspan is 65-75 cm. Mainly they have grey or white plumage with a red/orange beak and feet, white forehead, a black nape and crown, and white cheeks. The nape and crown can be streaked with white.

The Arctic Tern tends to be long-lived. They reach up to fifteen to thirty years of age.

They eat mainly fish and small marine invertebrates.

The species is abundant. They number up to a million.

Atlantic Puffin

I find these birds to be the cutest. They are black and white, like penguins but have a colorful beak. During the winter the beak fades to a dull gray and blooms into its colorful glory during the spring indicating that it may be attractive to potential mates. They grow up to 10 inches and get up to 17.5 ounces in weight.

Puffins are carnivores. They eat mainly herring, hake, capelin and sand eels. They supplement their meals by drinking saltwater.

The population is fairly large, numbering up to six million. Overfishing-(which depletes their diet)-oil spills, and global warming have reduced the population in some areas.


Barn Swallow

Barn swallows tend to be 17 to 19 cm in length. They get up to a weight of 16 to 22 grams. The barn swallow's wing span can get up to 32 to 34.5 cm. They have steel blue underparts, chin and throat. They have a broad dark blue breast.

Barn swallow tend to eat insects and aphids. They can also eat house or sand martins.

Barn swallows are designated as endangered. They breed in all provinces of Canada. The species numbers 2.45 million in this country.