The snowy owl is an Arctic bird who can be spotted in the Midwest in winter. They like open areas, including farm fields, and can be seen perched directly on or near the ground.
The American Midwest is witness to numerous bird species who migrate throughout the cycle of the year’s seasons. In winter, warmer climates are very attractive to certain birds who would rather wait out freezing temperatures and inadequate food sources in more pleasant settings until spring. Ruby-throated hummingbirds leave southern Canada and the eastern half of the United States for as far south as Central America. Scarlet tanagers migrate from a similar range all the way to South America.
While some migratory birds are leaving, others are just arriving. Birds from the Arctic Circle make their grand entrance. Arctic migratory birds can have very specific winter locales, including the east and west coastlines or hotspots occurring within select states. Others are common residents throughout much of the lower forty-eight and even more common throughout the Midwest.
Flying around hedgerows and making trips to backyard birdfeeders is a sparrow. It has a longish tail and a rust-colored cap that matches its eye stripe. Its chest, gray overall, has a dark central spot. The American tree sparrow is one of the most popular Arctic migrants to see throughout the Midwest. They can be seen foraging as flocks with or without other bird species and can be heard singing a dynamic, musical twittering.
Another Arctic migrant, a raptor, can be spotted perched on occasional trees in otherwise open land. The rough-legged hawk is on the lookout. It is not as big as the familiar red-tailed hawk. Its wings are also a little bit longer, and its beak is shorter. Brown overall, the hawk has mottled coloring with dark patches beneath the wings where they bend at the wrists and a tail that is white underneath with a dark edge.
On the ground in an open farm field is an unassuming white lump. The lump happens to be an owl. In winter, snowy owls spread out from the Arctic, flying south and frequenting open landscapes reminiscent of the Arctic tundra. Males are usually all white. Females and juvenile owls have a dark barring pattern. Unlike many owl species in the United States, snowy owls are active during the day, a habit they likely picked up due to twenty-four-hour daylight during Arctic summers.
In ponds, lakes, and shorelines, mingling with a menagerie of ducks is the long-tailed duck who is named for the male’s long, ribbon-like tailfeathers. In winter, males have more white on their head with a darker cheek patch. A pink band wraps around their short black beak. Long white feathers elegantly stream across their brown back. Females, in winter, can have an even paler head, and their bill is completely black. Feathers on top of the body are all brown. Females also lack the streaming feathers down their back and the long tailfeathers that males wear.
The red-throated loon is strictly a bird of the water. As its name suggests, the Arctic migrant has a red throat, but this key identifying feature is usually absent in winter. Instead, the loon assumes black, white, and gray plumage with black being predominant on top and white on the bottom. The typical loon build is one with a long neck, a pointed bill turned upward, and legs near the back of the body. While it is more likely to be seen along the east and west coasts, spotting a loon in a lake within the Midwest is not out of the question.
A bird that easily blends into snow-covered ground and rocky areas is the snow bunting. This bird of small stature sports white underneath the wings with black wingtips. The year-round wing pattern is accompanied by a winter change of attire that alters the rest of its stark black and white summer coloring. Soft, muted colors and rusty tones are assumed. While foraging on the ground, snow buntings can be hard to find. They do, however, move around a lot and can form really large flocks, so their movement and numbers increase their visibility.
Even more Arctic birds are on the move, making their way to the Midwest and beyond, occupying other parts of the contiguous United States and additional countries. The rough-legged hawk can be seen in Denmark and Germany. The snow bunting can be spotted in the United Kingdom and Japan. These birds get around, which is one of the many reasons why they are so extraordinary. And because they are on the move, birders at lower latitudes are able to see them without making a migration of their own to the High North.