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When you think of bird migrations, you might think of a bluebird or a robin first. But some owls do migrate – such as the Short-eared Owl, which flies south for the winter. Northern Saw-whet Owls were once thought non-migratory, but in fact they travel at night, unseen. Snowy Owls breed in the Arctic then wander toward the south, staying wherever they can find food. Some Burrowing Owls spend their whole life in one place. But others migrate every spring and fall with the regularity of a bluebird.
BirdNote®
Owls Migrate, Too
Written by Richa Malhotra
This is BirdNote.
[Short-eared Owl call, ML 198229341, 0:13-0:14]
When we think of bird migrations, owls probably aren’t the first birds we picture. You might think of a bluebird or a robin first.
But the Short-eared Owl is one of a handful of owls that does migrate. Affectionately called “shorties,” they fly south for the winter in North America but stay on the continent. In other parts of the world, like Europe and Asia, they take transcontinental flights.
[Northern Saw-whet Owl hoots, ML 40576, 0:12-0:15]
The Northern Saw-whet Owl is another owl that’s southbound come fall. Saw-whets were considered year-round residents when in fact they migrate at night—unseen.
[Snowy Owl call, ML 138288, 0:12-0:15]
Then there’s the Snowy Owl, which moves away from its nesting grounds in the Arctic tundra to spend winter in the northern U.S. Unlike birds that flock to the same destination every year, snowies are more flexible, often wandering wherever they can find food.
And let’s not forget the Burrowing Owl.
[Burrowing Owl hoot, ML 119479, 0:19-0:20]
Some Burrowing Owls spend their whole life in one place. But others migrate every spring and fall with the regularity of a bluebird.
So next time someone mentions migration, think owls.
[Snowy Owl call, ML 138288, 0:12-0:15]
For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Short-eared Owl ML 198229341 recorded by L. Pearson, Northern Saw-whet Owl ML 40576 recorded by G. Keller, Snowy Owl ML 138288 recorded by G. Vyn, and Burrowing Owl ML 119479 recorded by G. Keller.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2022 BirdNote August 2022 October 2024 Narrator: Michael Stein
ID# migration-38-2022-08-29 migration-38
References:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4070948
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-662-05957-9_25
Richa Malhotra
Writer
Michael Stein
NarratorSights & Sounds
