Short-distance migrant birds have large native ranges for their summer breeding seasons, but will fly to the southernmost points of their summer ranges for the winter. Some short-distance migrants are snow buntings, red-winged blackbirds, common grackles, chipping sparrows, American woodcocks and eastern bluebirds. Short-distance migrants usually have a high degree of cold tolerance, which is why they do not have to travel great distances. For example, the common snipe lives in certain areas of the Rocky Mountains where temperatures fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Many short-distance migrants eat seeds in the winter since other dietary items, such as insects and berries, are scarce during this season.
Ornithologists label birds as neotropical migrators when they spend summers in North America -- United States and Canada -- but fly to the tropical environments of South America for the winter. Neotropical birds breed while they are in North America. This term only applies to birds in the Western Hemisphere. Approximately 200 neotropical bird species exist, according the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Many species of songbirds, birds of prey, waterfowl and marine birds practice neotropical migration. The length of migration depends on the bird; some species fly over 10,000 miles from the Arctic tundra of North America to South America.
Many long-distance migrants will arrive at stopover sites, or staging areas, during the spring and fall. These sites serve as a resting and feeding site for migrators. Birds stay at stopover sites for one or more days, depending on weather conditions and how much energy they need to replenish. Perching birds, birds of prey and shorebirds are the primary birds that require a stopover site during their migration. In North America, the Great Lakes area -- Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota -- is a frequent resting place for long-distance migrants.
Vagrant birds are species that fly past their native ranges during migration and breed in areas they normally do not visit. In North America, vagrant birds sometimes occur hundreds of miles outside their range. A possible cause for vagrancy includes an error in a bird's navigational skills. The mostly likely victims of vagrancy are birds that migrate long distances, according the Audubon Society, such as tree-dwelling birds and marine birds. Other causes for vagrancy are inclement weather and ship transportation -- when birds land a ship without realizing they are being carried away from their native range.