The Nature Conservancy in Indiana - JWN - Are We There Yet?: Migratory Birds of Indiana

Did You Know?
Facts on Migratory Birds

Migratory birds represent nearly half of the 700 bird species that nest in the United States and Canada.

Most migratory birds fly between 2,000 feet and 3,000 feet above sea level, but other have been tracked as low as 500 feet and as high as 20,000 feet above.

The average flight speed for migratory birds is between 15 and 45 miles per hour.

Before migration, many birds double in weight by storing fat to fuel their long journeys.

Migratory birds play an important role in seed dispersal and pollination, and they help agriculture by eating insect pests.

Why do birds migrate? Ornithologists, or zoologists who study birds, have been searching for the answer for most of the 20^th century and have yet found all the answers. What we do know is that this phenomenon of thousands of birds taking to the skies for a long-distance destination has been an important part of many species existence.

So...Why Do Some Birds Migrate?

While we may think of some birds we see in our back yards as “ours,” more than 80 percent of birds in some North American forests spend nine months a year away from their breeding grounds, migrating south or living in their southern wintering habitats.

Food, water and a sheltered place to nest and breed are the basic needs of most birds. However, seasons change and for many, the difference between winter and spring is life-threatening. In some areas, food and water become limited and the security found in the leaves and brushes disappear. These birds are faced with either competing with other animals or taking flight to more agreeable environments.

Much is still unknown, but it comes down to the costs and benefits of migrating. For many birds, the cost of migrating south each fall - energy and mortality - are outweighed by the benefits - food availability and breeding success. In the spring, these birds always return back to the temperate areas such as Indiana due to seasonally abundant food resources and fewer nest predators compared to tropical regions.

Migratory Birds of Indiana

Migratory birds concentrate along the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and the Great Lakes coast where they can find refuge and feed before continuing to their wintering destinations. Indiana has been increasingly important to migratory birds that need a place to rest and eat. A few of these species that can be found flying through Indiana include:

American Golden-Plover
Barn Owl
Common Nighthawk
Hermit Thrush
King Rails
Lesser Yellowlegs
Magnolia Warbler
Red-eyed Vireo
Sandhill Crane
Tree Swallow

For more species that make Indiana an important stopover for migratory birds, check out the Birds of Kankakee Sands.

Indiana Stopovers

Some species of migratory birds travel more than 24,000 miles round trip each year, flying back and forth across the hemisphere. Because migrating species can spend more than half of the year on the move – heading north in the spring, south in the fall – the stopovers they depend upon are critical for their survival. For example, small songbirds no bigger than your hand stay in the air for more than 24 hours while crossing large bodies of water such as the Gulf of Mexico. Without stopover sites along the Gulf shores, these birds would literally drop from the sky, dead from hunger and exhaustion.

Though these stopover sites are often no bigger than a few hundred square feet, thousands of migratory birds will converge there throughout the year to find food and shelter where they can rest before continuing on their journeys. The National Audubon Society has recently listed two new Important Bird Areas (IBA) - areas that provide essential habitat for one or more species of birds - in Indiana: Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge and Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife. There are over forty of these important areas in our state that provide food and shelter to migratory birds as well as habitat for the bird species that stay with us all year around. Other essentials bird habitats include:

Eagle Creek Park - Marion County
Hoosier National Forest
Indiana Dunes State Park
Monroe Lake - Monroe County
Sugar Creek Valley
Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife - Newton County

What The Nature Conservancy is Doing to Protect Migratory Birds

Populations of some migratory birds have declined drastically over the past 30 years, mostly due to habitat loss of the birds’ breeding and wintering grounds as well as of the stopover sites birds rely on to rest and refuel along their migration routes. The Nature Conservancy understands the importance of these habitat and stopover sites, and has been working across the country and our borders to preserve these areas. In Indiana, the Southern Lake Michigan Rim Project and Kankakee Sands Restoration Project offices have been working to protect important migratory bird sites in their areas.

The Nature Conservancy is also aware that habitat loss isn't the only reason as to why migratory bird populations have been declining. Pollution, fragmentation and land development are also to blame as is human-induced global warming. According to the World Migratory Bird Day website, climate change is amplifying the danger to migratory birds at an alarming rate.

Recent studies have shown that global warming affects the pattern of migration for many species. Many change their routes or shorten their trips while some cancel their migration all together due to warming temperatures. Those birds who do decide to stick around their "permanent" residence end up using food sources and breeding areas that birds who migrate for very long distances once used creating competition and lack of resources. Climate change also encourages birds to return from migration sites and breed earlier than usual. Warmer temperatures also encourage plants to bloom and insects to hatch earlier, but not necessarily when hatchlings need them. This results in a lack of food for both parents and baby birds.

The Nature Conservancy is taking its actions towards tackling climate change seriously. We are joining with policy makers, community members, businesses, scientists, industry leaders and others to slow the pace of climate change. Together, we are working to reduce the accumulation of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere and help natural areas and wildlife adjust to the impacts of climate change.

For More Information

The Nature Conservancy's Migratory Bird Program and Projects

The Audubon Society's complete listing of Important Bird Areas in Indiana

Why Do Birds Migrate? An article from Science Daily

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Division of Migratory Bird Management

National Wildlife Federation's Birds and Global Warming page

Cornell's Lab of Ornithology's Resources for Kids & Families and Educators

Wondering when to look up? The Nutty Birdwatcher has compiled Spring & Fall Migration Timetables for several states including Indiana.