The Arctic Tern is the only one in the world who knows the way from the North Pole to the South

Among all the diversity of birds on our planet, sedentary and migratory birds are distinguished. Especially many migratory birds live in the circumpolar regions, where real bird bazaars are formed in summer - huge clusters of birds nesting on rocky shores. In autumn, all this abundance migrates south, overcoming thousands of kilometers to wintering sites.

But there is one truly unique among the migratory birds of the Arctic coasts, worthy of admiration and respect. And her name is Arctic Tern.

This is the only bird on the planet that flies for the winter not to warm tropical countries, but much further south, to the South Pole. Arctic terns nest and breed offspring in the Arctic, near the North Pole. But in the winter they fly to where absolutely identical living conditions and where at this time the polar summer - to the shores of Antarctica. Apparently, terns have not found convenient habitats anywhere closer. It turns out that for them their whole life is a year-round polar summer, during which they are ready to fly to the ends of the earth.

These amazing birds migrate to wintering places for a month, and in spring they make the same flight in the opposite direction. Thus, in flight they spend as much as two months a year. At the same time, the distance they cover in a year is as much as 70,000 kilometers.

Despite such enormous loads, polar terns do not complain about health, and their average life expectancy is 25 years, which is much higher than that of many other birds. And some individuals, according to scientists, are able to live up to 30 years.

Arctic terns are small birds, the sizes of which vary from 35 to 45 cm. They dive well and feed on various marine life, small fish, mollusks and larvae, and also do not mind eating berries ripening in the autumn in the tundra. Interestingly, these terns are very faithful family men and form couples for life.

Arctic terns have another characteristic feature. They are very brave, and having gathered in groups, I can easily resist the attacks of arctic foxes and will not even be afraid of a person if they consider that he is a danger to them. This fearlessness was quickly appreciated by other species of birds that began to settle near the Arctic terns in the hope of escape from the claims of predators.

Despite the regular change of habitats, the Arctic can be considered the home of these birds, because here they breed their chicks, and they themselves were once born in the northern polar regions. They live on the Arctic coasts of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Northern Europe and, of course, in our country on the entire coast of the Arctic Ocean.

Watch the video: This Tiny Bird Has The Longest Migration Of Any Animal On Earth (May 2024).