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Twice a Year, Birds Are on the Move
Twice a Year, Birds Are on the Move
Bird migration are among nature's greatest journeys and most remarkable phenomena!
Why do birds migrate? Migration is all about survival. Birds migrate to find the food, habitat, and conditions they need to survive and raise their young. When seasons change and food becomes scarce in one place, many birds travel to areas where resources are more abundant. In the spring, they head north to take advantage of long days, plentiful food, and fewer predators for breeding and raising babies. In the fall, they return south to warmer areas where food is easier to find during winter.
When do birds migrate? In the U.S., about 80% of migrating birds travel at night while most of us humans are sound asleep. These nocturnal migrants include most migratory songbirds and smaller species, who fly at night to avoid predators, stay cool, and conserve energy in calmer air. Meanwhile, larger birds (raptors, waterfowl, pelicans, cranes) and aerial insectivores (swallows and swifts) typically migrate during the day. Many daytime migrants rely on thermals generated by the sun to gain altitude and soar long distances with minimal wing-flapping.
How far do birds migrate? Some species are moving only a short distance, while others are beginning or continuing journeys of hundreds or thousands of miles between their breeding and wintering grounds.
How do birds know where to go? Birds use a remarkable combination of instinct and experience. Some species are born with much of their migration program already wired in their biology, while others learn routes and stopover sites from their parents or other experienced birds. They can use the sun, stars, landmarks, and Earth’s magnetic field to help find their way. And year after year, generations after generations, they always find their way across the vast continents.
Migration in Yuma County, Arizona: Located along the Pacific Flyway, the Yuma region is part of one of North America's great bird migration routes. Birds pass through the region as they travel between breeding and wintering grounds, relying on Yuma's wetlands, the Colorado River, and even agricultural fields or backyards for food, water, and shelter along the way.
Examples of notable migrants passing through Yuma:
(Photo by Margaret Heming📍Yuma West Wetlands)
The smallest long-distance migrant in the world, this tiny hummingbird (weighing as much as a U.S. penny) travels thousands of miles between northwestern North America and Mexico.
(Photo by Nick Molatore 📍Yuma East Wetlands)
This tiny bright-yellow songbird migrate twice from Central America all the way to Alaska/Canada and back, a remarkable journey for a bird that weighs less than a teaspoon of sugar.
(Photo by Nick Molatore📍Cibola NWR)
Young cranes learn migration routes by following their parents and older flock members instead of instinct. Generation after generation, cranes return to many of the same migration routes and wetlands.
(Photo by Henry Detwiler 📍Solar Power & Water Ponds)
After breeding on the Arctic tundra, this small shorebird travels as far south as South America's southernmost tip, crossing nearly the entire length of the Americas.
Follow Migration Happening Around You & Across the U.S.
Follow Migration Happening Around You & Across the U.S.
Most bird migration happens at night. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers the following Migration Tools using weather radar data to help visualize nocturnal bird migration across the U.S. near real-time.
These are a remarkable ways to make the invisible visible and may leave you looking at the night sky a little differently.
This tool shows details of nocturnal bird migration in your county and state (i.e. how many birds are flying over, how fast and high they are traveling and how the night's migration activity is compared to historic data).
This tool shows how many birds are traveling at night and in what direction they are moving
The Bird Migration Explorer, developed by the National Audubon Society, offers interactive maps that let you follow 450 different migratory species on their epic annual journeys and discover challenges they face along the way.
Turn off Lights for Birds at Night
Turn off Lights for Birds at Night
About 80% of migrating birds travel at night. Artificial light at night, especially in cities, can disrupt birds as they travel after dark. Birds use natural cues, including the stars, to help navigate. Bright artificial lights can disorient them or draw them into cities, where they may circle buildings, waste precious energy, or collide with windows and other structures.
Migration is an incredible achievement, but it is not an easy one. Along the way, birds face challenges including habitat loss, severe weather, lack of food and water sources, artificial light at night, and collisions with windows and other structures.
Turn off unnecessary outdoor lights & draw curtains from dusk to dawn, especially during migration, to give birds a safer, darker sky to navigate. It is a simple action that can make a real difference for migrating birds.
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