Migration of Birds (1950)

MIGRATION of BIRDS CIRCULAR 16 FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Biologist
Illustrated by BOB HINES
CIRCULAR 16
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, Albert M. Day, Director
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1950 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington 25, D. C. Price 30 cents
When the birds that have nested in our dooryards and those that have frequented the neighboring woods, hills, and marshes leave us in the fall, the question naturally comes to mind: Where do they go? This, however, is only one small part of the question as we also wonder: Will the same ones return next spring to their former haunts? What dangers will they face on their round-trip flight and while in their winter homes? These and other questions on the migratory habits of most species of Northern Hemisphere birds puzzle all who are interested in them, whether it be the farmer who profits by their tireless warfare against the weed and insect pests of his crops, the bird student who enjoys an abundance and variety of feathered inhabitants about him, or the hunter who wants a continuation from year to year of the sport of wildfowling. Lack of information on the subject may mean the loss of an important resource by unconsciously letting it slip from us, as ignorance might be responsible for inadequate legal protection for such species as might urgently need it. More general knowledge on the subject will aid in the perpetuation of the various migrants, the seasonal habitats of some of which are in grave danger from man's utilization, sometimes unwisely, of the marsh, water and other areas that were formerly homes for birds.
Throughout the ages the return flights of migratory birds have been important as a source of food after a lean winter and as the harbinger of a change in season. The arrival of certain species has been heralded with appropriate ceremonies in many lands, and among the Eskimos and other tribes the phenomenon to this day is the accepted sign of the imminence of spring and of warmer weather. The pioneer fur traders in Alaska and Canada offered rewards to the Indian or Eskimo who saw the first goose of the spring, and all joined in jubilant welcome to the newcomer.