Dark Eyed Junco, a year round resident at The Elisabeth Morrow School
Birds need to find food year round in order to survive. During the cool seasons in the temperate deciduous forest, most living invertebrates die off or go into hibernation. The seeds and berries of trees and herbaceous plants remain and are eaten by those birds that do not migrate.
Migrating birds: insect eating birds such as the wood warblers, robins and nectar sipping birds such as hummingbirds, must migrate to warmer climates in order to find food. In late summer and early fall, millions of birds migrate to the southern United States, Mexico, Central America and South America, to their winter feeding grounds, also called their winter range. In the spring these birds come back north to their summer breeding grounds, or summer range, where they build their nests and raise their young.
Year Round Residents: Many birds that can survive the winter eating seeds and dry berries do not migrate thousands of miles, but remain in their territory year round. Some of these birds are Black Capped Chickadees, House Finches, Purple Finches, House Sparrows, American Goldfinches, Tufted Titmice, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Dark Eyed Junco, White Breasted Nuthatches, Red Tailed Hawks, Crows, Cardinals and Blue Jays. We see all of these year round residents at The Elisabeth Morrow School!
Dark Eyed Junco, a year round resident at The Elisabeth Morrow School
Questions
After reading the information on migration and year round residents, see if you can answer the following questions.
1. Why do birds migrate?
2. Name some birds that migrate.
3. Why are some birds year-round residents?
4. Name some birds that do not migrate, but are year-round residents.