Bird Migration Paths in USA

Birds regularly partake in migration patterns every year. Birds take numerous migration paths to get north and south during different parts of the year. Factors such as distance traveled, speed of flight and geographic positioning all play a role in bird migration paths across America. Four "flyways" define the main migration paths found across the United States. Flyways define broad areas in which numerous migration paths occur.

  1. Mississippi Flyway

    • The Mississippi flyway runs through the areas of southern Ontario to western Lake Erie where it follows closer to the Mississippi River in a southwesterly manner. It is known as the longest migration route in the Western Hemisphere and covers the United States from North Dakota to Michigan and south through Louisiana. The geographic area in which this flyway lies has a low volume of mountains and runs for more than 3000 miles. It has plenty of water and low elevation, catering to migrating birds.

    Atlantic Flyway

    • The Atlantic flyway is located primarily on the northwest part of the United States. It extends north up through the Atlantic Ocean by way of Greenland into the Arctic Circle. This route comes of significant importance to waterfowl and other birds that habitat in waterways in this area. In a swooping motion across the eastern part of the country, birds fly south and eventually make their way west to end the fall migration path in South America.

    Pacific Flyway

    • The Pacific flyway draws species like gulls, ducks and waterbirds to areas inside the Arctic coast. The route starts in the Arctic circle by the Queen Elizabeth Islands and moves westward around the coast of Alaska. It then proceeds to head in a southeasterly motion across the coast of Canada to follow the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains south, eventually going through western Mexico and ending in South America. The Pacific flyway is considered as one of the most defined Arctic migration routes in North America.

    Central Flyway

    • The Central flyway covers the vast majority of the central part of the United States, north to south, from the west boundary of Montana to the eastern boundaries of Oklahoma and Texas. This flyway tends to merge with the Mississippi flyway the closer it gets to the southern part of the country. Waterfowl near the Great Salt Lake in Utah take this migration path that goes south for winter and back north for the warmer months.