MYSTERY OF THE MISSING MIGRANTS | © Charley Harper Art Studio | Used with Permission

Showcasing the spectacle of bird migration

When, where, and how far will birds migrate? How many birds passed last night? Our tools help you explore the answers to these and many other questions about bird migration.

Learn how

POWERED BY

Cornell Lab of Ornithology logo
Colorado State University logo
University of Massachusetts Amherst logo

Migration tools

ACTIVE
Forecasting ends Nov 15, 2025

Migration Dashboard

Explore nightly migration data in your region.  Learn more

Bird migration forecast maps

Bird migration forecast maps show predicted nocturnal migration 3 hours after local sunset and are updated every 6 hours. Colorado State University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology currently produce these forecasts.  Learn more

Forecast map: Day 1
Forecast map: Day 2
Forecast map: Day 3
Forecast map: Day 1
Forecast map: Day 2
Forecast map: Day 3

Local bird migration alerts

Search with our local migration alert tool to determine whether birds are passing overhead near your city tonight!  Learn more

Live bird migration maps

See real-time analysis maps of intensities of actual nocturnal bird migration, as detected by the US weather surveillance radar network between local sunset to sunrise. Cornell Lab of Ornithology currently produces these maps.

Play live bird migration maps
Live migration map preview image

Recent news

A new record night of migration for BirdCast!
By Andrew Farnsworth The Cornell Lab Sep 26, 2025

Migration intensity goes off the charts, again, with a new record night of migration intensity for BirdCast!  Read more

Migration Celebration at Cornell Lab: We have a winner!
By Adriaan Dokter The Cornell Lab Sep 25, 2025

BirdCast and the Bird Collision Prevention Alliance presented at the annual Migration Celebration at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We have a winner for the BirdCast 'Guess How Many' challenge: how many birds will fly over New York State tonight?  Read more

BirdCast dashboard and live maps back online
By Adriaan Dokter The Cornell Lab Aug 28, 2025

Update Aug 28 2025 23:00 EST: the BirdCast live maps are back online. Please note that the historical data for August 26-28 2025 are missing and will be added at a later time. BirdCast live maps and dashboard are currently down as of Aug 26 due to technical issues. A fix has been identified and […]  Read more

All news

NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Román, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Lights Out

Every spring and fall, billions of birds migrate through the US, mostly under the cover of darkness. This mass movement of birds must contend with a dramatically increasing but still largely unrecognized threat: light pollution.
Learn more

BirdCast Partners and Support

BirdCast is a consortium of interdisciplinary researchers, primarily from three organizations at present, with a growing list of collaborators, supporters, and partners.  Learn more

Core partners

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Colorado State University UMass Amherst

Core funders

National Science Foundation Leon Levy Foundation AWS Lyda Hill Philanthropies Amon G. Carter Foundation

Other support

USGS The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation NASA Microsoft NOAA BiodivERsA Belmont Forum European Commission

Lights Out partners

Houston Audubon Texas Conservation Alliance Texan by Nature Perot Museum of Nature and Science Dallas Zoo
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