GlobeFellas

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    Bird migration map: where the birds are today

    Follow 39 migratory birds on their typical routes, from Swedish cranes and swallows to Arctic terns and bar-tailed godwits. The map opens on today's date; drag the timeline or press play to watch a whole year.

    On the move today

    25 of 39 species are migrating on October 9. Pick one to follow it on the map.

    October 9

    The birds and their journeys

    Every species on the map, longest journey first. Distances are typical for the population shown; dates are the usual windows and shift with the weather.

    BirdRouteOne wayLeaves breeding groundsReturnsToday
    Ardenna grisea
    		Southern New Zealand islands → Off California30,000 kmMar–MaySep–OctHeading to breeding grounds
    Sterna paradisaea
    		Greenland and Iceland → Weddell Sea pack ice19,000 kmAug–NovMar–MayHeading to wintering grounds
    Calidris canutus rufa
    		Central Canadian Arctic → Tierra del Fuego15,000 kmJul–OctFeb–JunHeading to wintering grounds
    Ardenna tenuirostris
    		Tasmania and Bass Strait → Bering Sea15,000 kmApr–MaySep–OctHeading to breeding grounds
    Oenanthe oenanthe
    		Alaska and the Yukon → Sudan to Kenya14,500 kmAug–OctMar–MayHeading to wintering grounds
    Limosa lapponica baueri
    		Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska → New Zealand11,500 kmSep–OctMar–MayAt wintering grounds
    Falco amurensis
    		Amur region → Southern Africa11,000 kmSep–NovMar–MayHeading to wintering grounds
    Buteo swainsoni
    		Canadian prairies → Pampas of Argentina10,000 kmAug–NovFeb–AprHeading to wintering grounds
    Hirundo rustica
    		Sweden and Britain → South Africa10,000 kmSep–NovFeb–AprHeading to wintering grounds
    Ciconia ciconia
    		Poland and eastern Germany → Southern Africa10,000 kmAug–OctFeb–AprHeading to wintering grounds
    Puffinus puffinus
    		Skomer, Wales → Off Brazil and Argentina10,000 kmAug–OctFeb–MarHeading to wintering grounds
    Dolichonyx oryzivorus
    		Northern US hayfields → Grasslands of Argentina and Paraguay10,000 kmAug–OctMar–MayHeading to wintering grounds
    Phylloscopus trochilus
    		Swedish forests → East and southern Africa10,000 kmAug–SepMar–MayAt wintering grounds
    Lanius collurio
    		Sweden → Southern Africa10,000 kmAug–SepApr–MayAt wintering grounds
    Apus apus
    		Sweden and northern Europe → Mozambique8,000 kmJul–SepApr–MayAt wintering grounds
    Cuculus canorus
    		Sweden and northern Europe → Congo rainforest8,000 kmJun–AugFeb–MayAt wintering grounds
    Phalaropus lobatus
    		Fetlar, Shetland → Pacific off Peru and Ecuador8,000 kmJul–SepApr–MayAt wintering grounds
    Merops apiaster
    		Southern Europe → Southern Africa8,000 kmAug–SepApr–MayAt wintering grounds
    Buteo platypterus
    		Eastern North America → Northern Andes7,000 kmSep–OctMar–MayHeading to wintering grounds
    Pernis apivorus
    		Swedish forests → West and central Africa7,000 kmAug–SepApr–MayAt wintering grounds
    Gallinago media
    		Scandinavian mountains → Sahel and central Africa6,500 kmAug–SepApr–MayAt wintering grounds
    Selasphorus rufus
    		Southern Alaska and British Columbia → Central Mexico6,300 kmJul–SepFeb–AprAt wintering grounds
    Cygnus columbianus
    		Arctic Alaska and Canada → Chesapeake Bay6,000 kmSep–NovFeb–MayHeading to wintering grounds
    Pandion haliaetus
    		Sweden and Scotland → Senegal and The Gambia5,000 kmAug–OctMar–AprAt wintering grounds
    Pluvialis fulva
    		Western Alaska → Hawaii4,800 kmAug–OctApr–MayAt wintering grounds
    Anser caerulescens
    		Baffin Island and Hudson Bay → Texas and Louisiana Gulf coast4,500 kmSep–NovFeb–MayHeading to wintering grounds
    Setophaga striata
    		Boreal forest of Canada → Northern Amazon4,500 kmSep–OctApr–MayHeading to wintering grounds
    Neophron percnopterus
    		Balkans → Sudan and Ethiopia4,500 kmSep–OctMar–AprAt wintering grounds
    Antigone canadensis
    		Canada and Alaska → Texas and New Mexico4,000 kmSep–NovFeb–AprHeading to wintering grounds
    Grus americana
    		Wood Buffalo National Park → Aransas, Texas4,000 kmSep–NovMar–MayHeading to wintering grounds
    Calidris pusilla
    		Arctic Canada → Suriname and the Guianas4,000 kmJul–SepApr–MayAt wintering grounds
    Archilochus colubris
    		Eastern North America → Southern Mexico and Central America3,500 kmAug–OctFeb–AprHeading to wintering grounds
    Branta leucopsis
    		Russian Arctic → Wadden Sea, Netherlands3,500 kmSep–OctApr–MayHeading to wintering grounds
    Grus virgo
    		Mongolia and Kazakhstan → Rajasthan and Gujarat3,000 kmAug–OctFeb–MarHeading to wintering grounds
    Branta canadensis
    		Northern Canada → Central and southern US2,500 kmOct–NovFeb–AprHeading to wintering grounds
    Grus grus
    		Sweden and Finland → Extremadura and Aragón, Spain2,500 kmSep–NovFeb–MarHeading to wintering grounds
    Anser indicus
    		Mongolia and Qinghai lakes → Plains of northern India2,500 kmSep–NovMar–AprHeading to wintering grounds
    Anser brachyrhynchus
    		Interior of Iceland → Scotland, Lancashire and Norfolk1,600 kmSep–OctApr–MayHeading to wintering grounds
    Cygnus cygnus
    		Iceland → Ireland, Scotland and northern England1,000 kmOct–NovMar–AprHeading to wintering grounds

    How the map works

    Positions show where a typical bird of each population is on a given date, not live tracking of individual birds. Routes and dates are simplified from published ringing and satellite-tracking studies and vary by a week or two from year to year.

    Photo: Wikimedia Commons · Wikidata