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Published: August 15, 2016

Celebrating the Protection of Migrant Birds

Mary Hennen, Assistant Collections Manager, Birds; Director, Chicago Peregrine Program, Gantz Family Collections Center

As many individuals do, I love to feed the birds in my backyard.  With each spring and fall, I get excited to see what new birds may be stopping by on their way north or south, depending on the time of year.  And like many birders, I keep a list.  

On one side of a sheet of paper, I keep track of the species where at least one individual actually stepped foot on my property.   On the back side of that paper, are the species that I’ve seen from my yard (most of which I have no hope of ever having it land, such as sandhill cranes.)  Perhaps the most fun is when I can move a species from the “distant” page to the “landed” side.  Any new addition is a cause for celebration.

The highlight of my list is my only warbler. On April 24th in 2013, a lone pine warbler visited my feeders.  A spring migrant, it stopped by to rest and refuel before continuing onto its breeding grounds.  After spending 3-4 days, it was off.

I’ve been thinking a lot about that bird lately, especially today (August 16th) and on what is the 100th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty.

100 years ago today in Washington, Robert Lansing (U.S. Secretary of State) and Sir Cecil Spring Rice (Ambassador to the US from Great Britain – and on behalf of Canada) signed the Migratory Bird Treaty.  It became the start of what is considered a monumental piece of legislation that protects our Migratory Birds. 

Of course, we are talking politics and law, so it wasn’t that simple.  The president (Woodrow Wilson) had to send it to the senate. Have a convention, get some ratifications, etc…. and in 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) was passed by congress.   It states. “ that it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, possess, sell, purchase, barter, import, export, or transport any migratory bird, or any part, nest, or egg or any such bird, unless authorized under a permit issued by the Secretary of the Interior. “

This law is one of the oldest laws to protect wildlife in the U.S.. Just think of the species that could have been lost to our generation.  Would we have egrets or would we have lost them to the fashion industry?  Today, where would our urban Peregrines be without the protection that prevents a condo owner from simply removing unwanted eggs? Would I have been able to see that pine warbler or would the species have been lost to us years ago?

Thankfully, we don't have to wonder.  After 100 years, we can still celebrate both the birds and the law that protects them.  It is worth visiting the website of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to discover the ways they are celebrating our migratory birds.

Mary Hennen
Assistant Collections Manager, Birds; Director, Chicago Peregrine Program

I have been working in the Bird Collection in some capacity (at times student, volunteer, or staff), since 1989. Much of my time is spent with skeletal prep including managing the Bird's Dermestid colonies.

My primary work outside of the bird collection is with Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus). As recently as 1960's, Peregrines had been extirpated east of the Rockies.

Many factors contributed to the decline of Peregrines, including habitat loss, hunting, and egg collecting, though the predominant cause was effects of organochlorines such as DDT. By comparing the egg shell thickness of the few remaining peregrines to historic oology collections including the Field Museum's, scientists discovered that DDT and it's byproducts interfered with calcium production in females causing them to lay thin eggs which subsequently were crushed during incubation.

With the recovery of the species, the Chicago Peregrine Program now directs it's focus towards monitoring Peregrines in Illinois. The Peregrine Falcon was removed from the Federal Endangered Species List in 2000 and has been approved for removal from the Illinois State Endangered and Threatened Species List in 2015.

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