Bird Migration

A little brown and white thrush with its feathers fluffed up perches on a fallen tree in a forest holding a red berry in its beak.
Forest Fragments Act Like ‘Convenience Stores’ for Migrating Birds, Study Finds
March 31, 2023 — Using radar data, scientists identified the most popular stopover sites for migrants across the eastern United States. But these same strongholds are often overlooked in conservation strategies
This Wave Theory of Spring Migration Will Prepare You for Your Next Birding Outing
March 06, 2023 — Songbirds don’t leave their wintering grounds all together. Here’s when to expect different species as they cross the eastern United States.
A yellow bird in flight, blue sky in the background.
Migrating Male Birds Race Ahead to Keep Up with Spring’s Early Arrival
January 26, 2023 — New research finds females are lagging behind males as they try and keep up with earlier springs driven by climate change.
An illustration of a bird flying between brightly and dimly lit cities.
How to Make Your Outdoor Home Lighting Bird-Friendly
May 31, 2022 — Learn about shielding lights and other ways to make your outdoor lighting more bird-friendly.
A female Wilson’s Phalarope swims in a shallow wetland.
Funneling Phalaropes
May 13, 2022 — Follow the hemispheric migration of the Wilson’s Phalarope.
Yellow Warbler perched on a branch.
5 Birds That Migrate to the Rockies
April 29, 2022 — How to identify five common migratory birds in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah.
A Western Meadowlark stands alert in a field of tall, green grass.
Where to Look for Birds During Spring Migration
April 25, 2022 — Learn about birds commonly seen in the spring in the Rockies and where to look for them.
Easy Ways to Help Migratory Birds
April 19, 2022 — Four simple steps you can take to help birds migrate safely.
How and Why Did Bird Migration Evolve?
April 19, 2022 — The drive for birds to migrate is at least partially genetic. How those genes developed—and how they function in modern birds—isn't fully known.
Silhouettes of large birds fly across the a pink and gray sky in a line. A large full moon in centered in the frame behind them.
A Brief History of How Scientists Have Learned About Bird Migration
April 13, 2022 — Researchers today can follow birds' paths as they fly thousands of miles. But it wasn't always that way. Scroll through more than two centuries of advances in understanding this natural wonder.