Many North American raptors take to the skies each fall and migrate south where prey is more abundant. Prey animals are those animals that are hunted and eaten by raptors; these can include mice, rabbits, small birds, reptiles, insects and even other raptors. As winter comes to our area, many prey animals that are eaten by raptors hibernate, burrow underground, migrate themselves, or die. The raptors' food sources are now reduced, and raptors need to move to find enough food to sustain them through the winter.
Where do raptors go when they migrate?
The distance
traveled by raptors during migration can range from only a few
hundred miles to several thousand miles each way. Some raptors
fly from Canada to different part of the U.S., while others fly
from the U.S. all the way to Central and South America!
Why
don't raptors stay down south all year round?
If all the raptors
that migrated to southern areas stayed there all year round, there
would be much more competition for food and space when they were
ready to nest and raise their young. By returning north in the
spring, raptors face less competition for food and territory than
in their wintering grounds.
This
project designed and implemented by Renee Seiple for
Germantown Academy
middle school students. Technical assistance and page design furnished
by Carol
Siwinski,
Curricular
Technology Specialist.
Last updated October, 2001