Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-02
MIGRATORY FLIGHT
I OF TERN IS TRACED
Bird Banded by U. S. in
I Labrador Found in
South Africa.

The finding of dead bird on beach
IN South Africa may unlock secret
which has long puzzled American
naturalists.
The bird, an Arctic tern, carried a
small metal band on one leg with the
number 548l38 and. in abbreviated
form. the address of the Bureau OF
Biological Survey, United States De-
partment of Agriculture.
o. l.. Austin banded the tern at
Turrevik Bay, Labrador, July %, 1928.
Four months later 1t was found in
South Africa.
Scientists have recognized the Arctic
tern as the Lindbergh of the bird world.
It makes the longest migration OF any
bird. summering in the Arctic and win
tering in the Antarctic. Eleven thou
sand miles to a Winter resort is an
all-time record
By what route does the Arctic tern
Nv from the North Pole to the Antarc-
tic? That has been the question.
Tells of Finding Bird.
H. J. S. Heather of Durham. Natal
has communicated to the National Geo
graphic Society the circumstances Of the
important find which may answer the
question:
The tern was picked up by Mr..
Wackrill of johannesburg a few miles
south of Port Shepstone. His discovery,
the Biological Survey wrote the finder,
was the most remarkable case that
has been reported in any country 1t
suggests that the Arctic tern leaves the
northern reaches of North America,
flies to Portugal, crosses the length Of
Africa and then hops to the Antarctic
continent"
The new evidence adds about 1000
miles to the previous II 900 miles esti-
mated airline flight of the species. The
Arctic tern enjoys more daylight than
any other living creature because 1t lives
in regions where the sun never sets and
only experiences night on its semi
annual Journeys across the Equator.
Terms and other shore birds travel
more widely than any other feathered
creatures. The golden plover raises
brood in Ungava or Northern Labrador
and in the Fall wings out over the open
ocean, never stopping until it reaches
Bermuda. On it flies. pausing perhaps
at the Bahamas or the Lesser Antilles
on the way to South America The first
Of the golden plovers have been reported
arriving in Paraguay before the last
have left the breeding grounds. They
winter" on the Argentine pampas,
where the Summer sun makes food
plentiful.
WarbIers Fly 500 Miles,
Even unadventurous appearing war
blers travel far TO escape the cold breath
of Winter OF our American species
and subspecies % Winter in the West
Indies, A go to Mexico, 81 push on to
Central America, while % reach South
America It is fact for nerer- ceasing
wonder that some warblers and other
small birds fly 500 miles across the
Caribbean Sea without resting.
Probably the most remarkable nom
stop oversee flights are those of the
Pacific golden plover. Coming south
from Alaska it touches at the Aleutians
and then takes off for Hawaii. 1t
crosses 1890 miles of open ocean. How
plovers are able to locate the Hawaiian
Islands in henliddle of the North
Pacific is a mystery of Nature.
Birds that nest in the Southern Hem
isphere also have remarkable records for
travel. The Standardized clearwater
makes a circuit of the Pacific Ocean.
It breeds in Southern Australia, flies
north along the Asia coast and returns
south by the American coast!
Banding Reveals Habits.
Promotion Of bird-banding has re-
vealed many unknown and unsupported
facts of bird migrations and habits.
Tell-tale bands have shown the male
wren to be an inconsistent fellow who
ought to be paying heavy worm alimony
and have also supplied facts on which
practical plans for the conservation of
bird life can be made.
AT present nearly / 200 banding sta
tons are in operation in all parts of
the country" writes E. W. Nelson, for
Inerly head of the Bureau of Biological
Survey, in the National Geographic
Magazine
THE operators send the data regard
ing each individual bird banded to the
bureau, which has established an
indexed card file of such records. Wide
spread interest is expressed in reports
of the capture of banded birds. of which
1874, representing about 200 species,
have been retaken, either alive or dead"
Arthur Duerr, rural mail carrier of
McGregor, Iowa, has driven his route