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Figure This!

The exact details of the Arctic tern's migraion, as with most bird migrations, are unknown. The route is not necessarily direct, and the birds make stops along the way.

Naturalists catch birds, place identification bands on their legs, then release them. If these birds are caught again, the bands help provide a record of where the birds came from.

An Arctic tern banded in the Arctic Ocean was captured again three months later—11,000 miles away.

Observers of the Arctic tern report that they can be found for three to four months in the Arctic region, and for three to four months in the Antarctic region.

The blackpole warbler cannot swin, yet it migrates over the open ocean from New England to South America, a nonstop trip of over 4000 miles.

Birds have been seen at elevations of 30,000 feet—higher than Mount Everest. One bird crashed into an airliner at 37,000 feet.

Carrier pigeons have been clocked at speeds of 35 mph.

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