The champion migrant, however, is the Arctic Tern. These birds move each year from their nesting grounds in the far northern regions of the north to the coasts of Antarctica in the southern hemisphere, a round trip of 22,000 miles. Someone has actually counted the number of feathers on many species of birds. The tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird has relatively few at 940 feathers. At the high extreme, the Swan has some 20,000 feathers.
Birds live a very precarious life surrounded by many natural and man-made dangers.
Banding studies demonstrate that most birds die in their first year of life. If a bird survives its first year, it has a chance of living for several years. Some records for different species include 23.25 years for the Great Blue Heron, 23.5 years for the Canada Goose, 18.33 years for the Blue Jay, 15.75 years for the Red-winged Blackbird, and 15.75 years for the Northern Cardinal. Birds have been around much longer than the things man has created that cause their death. Many birds are lost each year to collisions with buildings, windows, radio and TV towers, lighthouses and other objects.