Mesmerizing Migration: Watch 118 Bird Species Migrate Across a Map of the Western Hemisphere

[MerryBlooms]

For the first time, scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have documented migratory movements of bird populations spanning the entire year for 118 species throughout the Western Hemisphere. The study finds broad similarity in the routes used by specific groups of species—vividly demonstrated by animated maps showing patterns of movement across the annual cycle. The results of these analyses were published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Each dot represents a single bird species; the location represents the average of the population for each day of the year (see paper for a more precise explanation of the “average location”). Here’s a key to which species is which.

“We used millions of observations from the eBird citizen-science database,” says lead author Frank La Sorte, a research associate at the Cornell Lab. “After tracing the migration routes of all these species and comparing them, we concluded that a combination of geographic features and broad-scale atmospheric conditions influence the choice of routes used during spring and fall migration.”

La Sorte says a key finding of the study is that bird species that head out over the Atlantic Ocean during fall migration to spend winter in the Caribbean and South America follow a clockwise loop and take a path farther inland on their return journey in the spring. Species that follow this broad pattern include Bobolinks, Yellow and Black-billed cuckoos, Connecticut and Cape May warblers, Bicknell’s Thrush, and shorebirds, such as the American Golden Plover.

“These looped pathways help the birds take advantage of conditions in the atmosphere,” explains La Sorte. “Weaker headwinds and a push from the northeast trade winds as they move farther south make the fall journey a bit easier. The birds take this shorter, more direct route despite the dangers of flying over open-ocean.”

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/mesmerizing-migration-watch-118-bird-species-migrate-across-a-map-of-the-western-hemisphere/

Very cool.

[jberryhill]

1. Save a click here:

[MerryBlooms]

4. Thanks much. :)

[malaise]

5. Lots of them visit Jamaica in the winter

That is magnificent

[truebluegreen]

12. I wonder if the one that goes from

its "southern" point of Cape Breton all the way up to Baffin Island is a gyr, and where it finds or takes the time to stop and nest. ???

[dem in texas]

2. I used to be a big bird watcher, I was member of the Audubon Society and kept a life list.

The best bird watching for me was when we lived in Anchorage. We lived on the east side of town up near the Chugach mountains and the birds would fly along the coast, then up into the mountains to go over Turnagain Pass which was just south-east of Anchorage. One of the most beautiful sights I saw was when my backyard was full of yellow warblers migrating down from further North. This was back in the early 70's, so I had no camera of cellphone to snap shots of this event. It was like a canary convention.

One day I was at my kitchen window and saw a ruby throated hummingbird. At that time, there had been only a few sightings of hummingbirds that far North. I ran out the door and followed the bird down the street. My neighbors saw me and thought some bad had happened and all came running out. I had to tell them I was only chasing a hummingbird.

[MerryBlooms]

6. Oh, how funny.

Lovely experiences, you're a lucky duck.

[lunatica]

3. That's very soothing

Thanks!

[MerryBlooms]

7. y/w :)

[IADEMO2004]

8. I Like It. Thank You.

[MerryBlooms]

9. y/w :)

[Solly Mack]

10. K&R

[MerryBlooms]

11. Thanks much. :)

[A Little Weird]

13. Awesome!

I would love to read about their methodology. They must have had a shit ton of data to make that work for so many species!