Bird Migration Forecasts in Real-Time
When, where, and how far will birds migrate? Our migration forecasts will answer these questions for the first time.
Migration Forecast
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Bird migration forecasts powered by 23 years of radar observations and the most recent North American Mesoscale weather forecast. Migration forecasts show predicted nocturnal migration 3 hours after local sunset and are updated every 6 hours. Learn more
Scientific Discussion
Migration Science: one in every four birds gone in the US and Canada
A study published today in the journal Science reveals that the volume of spring migration, as measured by the NEXRAD radar network in the night skies, has dropped by 14 percent in the past decade. The paper further compiles bird survey data collected on the ground, indicating that bird populations in the United States and Canada have declined by 29 percent since 1970, representing a loss of almost 3 billion birds.
Monitoring at the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum Tribute in Light, 2019
Members of the BirdCast team will be at the Tribute in Light with New York City Audubon volunteers to monitor bird appearing in the intense beams of light this evening and collect additional data to study the effects of these intense lights on bird migration.
Interactive Map: the passage of Hurricane Dorian
Hurricanes and their impacts, in particular in depositing seabirds far afield from their normal haunts, represent unique opportunities to understand how animals behave in and respond to serious disturbances. Check out live sightings of species that may by associated with the passage of Dorian this week.
Migration alert: Nocturnal migration around Hurricane Dorian
BirdCast tracks with great interest the movements of hurricanes and the pelagic species that they often entrain and displace on shore and at times far inland. The team is also interested in bird migration around hurricanes, and with the arrival and passage of Hurricane Dorian off the coast of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, we can see how some birds handle the circulation of an intense cyclonic storm.
BirdCast’s Fall 2019 Campaign Begins
Welcome to fall migration season 2019 for BirdCast! Our 3-day forecast maps have returned, and our migration maps are live, so you can check predictions for and monitor nightly migration intensity through the fall season. Please visit us often!
Live Migration Maps
Real-time bird migration maps show intensities of actual bird migration as detected by the US weather surveillance radar network. All graphics are relative to the Eastern time zone.
View Live Migration Maps