Flyways of the Americas

The flyways traveled by birds each spring and fall inspire our model for organizational alignment.

Select a bird to learn more about its journey along the flyways.

Pacific Flyway
Whimbrel
Whimbrel
Pacific Flyway
Central Flyway
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Central Flyway
Mississippi Flyway
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Mississippi Flyway
Atlantic Flyway
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Atlantic Flyway

Pacific Flyway: Whimbrel

A large shorebird with a long, curved bill, the Whimbrel nests in the far north: the tundra and boreal forests of Alaska and Canada. Audubon’s work to protect Arctic wilderness and national forests in Alaska helps save the Whimbrel’s nesting grounds. After the breeding season, Whimbrels that nest in western North America migrate south along the Pacific Coast, stopping to rest and feed on beaches and other shorelines. Along the way, they benefit from the work Audubon does to protect the coastal habitat and wetlands that they need. Many Whimbrels migrate south all the way to Chile, where Audubon works in partnership with Chilean conservation organization CEPCAN to protect the habitat that Whimbrels and other birds need there. As spring begins to dawn on the Northern Hemisphere, Whimbrels again begin the long journey north.

Central Flyway: Sandhill Crane

The Sandhill Crane is one of North America’s tallest and most iconic birds, with a rolling, bugling call that heralds the changing seasons. In the Central Flyway, Sandhill Cranes are known for their sweeping migrations across the vast plains and prairies. Sandhill Cranes gather in enormous concentrations in critical wetland habitats throughout the flyway, drawing crowds of human observers to witness the spectacle. The largest gathering of Sandhill Cranes in the world occurs along the Platte River in Nebraska each spring, where half a million cranes stop over during their northward journeys. Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary protects critical 1,150 acres in the heart of the cranes’ stopover zone, where hundreds of volunteers help restore wetlands and introduce human visitors to the wonder of cranes and other migratory birds.
 

Mississippi Flyway: Prothonotary Warbler

The Mississippi River and its tributaries form one of the greatest river systems on the planet. The brilliant yellow Prothonotary Warbler spends its summers in forested wetlands throughout the Mississippi River basin. With a cheerful song and its famous good looks, the bird goes by local names like “golden swamp canary.” But the presence of the bird is tied to the health of the wetlands. Cut down the trees, and the warbler disappears. From Minnesota to Louisiana, Audubon’s work to protect and restore forested wetlands is helping ensure a future for Prothonotary Warblers. Our scientists are working to understand their migration patterns, and our sanctuaries on the Gulf Coast provide crucial migratory stopover habitat. And farther south, our partnerships in countries like Belize and Panama are helping to protect the tropical forests where these beautiful birds spend the winter months.

Atlantic Flyway: Black-throated Blue Warbler

The jewel-like Black-throated Blue Warbler migrates through the eastern United States. It nests in southern Canada, the northern United States, and the Appalachian Mountains, where its buzzy song reverberates in leafy forest canopies. Like all migratory birds, this bird depends on healthy nesting grounds, healthy migratory stopover sites, and healthy wintering grounds. Audubon’s work with forest owners in the eastern United States is helping to ensure that the Black-throated Blue Warbler and dozens of other birds have the habitat that they need to raise their young successfully. Our work to protect urban parks and coastal migrant traps and to reduce building collisions along the heavily urbanized Atlantic seaboard is helping maintain safer migratory pathways for Black-throated Blue Warblers, and our growing partnerships in the Caribbean and Central America will help us protect the winter homes of these birds too.

This year Audubon achieved huge conservation victories in the Pacific Flyway—including saving 40 percent of the world’s remaining Tricolored Blackbird population from certain destruction—demonstrating the immense power of our network. Learn More »

Western Water News

Living on a Smaller Colorado River Water Supply

Arizona, California, and Nevada are proving they can live with less.
Western Water News

The Colorado River is Unpredictable, but its Policies and Management Shouldn’t Be

Audubon weighs in on federal decisions in the short and long-term.
Great Blue Heron flies over water
News

Inflation Reduction Act is Making a Difference for Water Resources, Rural Communities, Birds

Significant climate legislation one year after passage.

In the Central Flyway, Audubon works to protect threatened ecosystems, such as riparian habitat in the Colorado River basin and the vast sagebrush habitats that cover much of the western landscape, on behalf of such iconic bird species as the Yellow-billed Cuckoo and the Greater Sage-Grouse. Learn More »

A group of phalaropes swim in a lake with out of focus mountains in the distance.
Western Water News

Wilson’s Phalaropes and their Journey from Canada to Argentina

Key stopovers at Great Salt Lake and Mono Lake allow for 10000 mile migrations.
Western Water News

Horseshoe Reservoir: An Opportunity to Restore 

Audubon StoryMap explores riverside habitat rehabilitation options within footprint of reservoir on the Verde River 
Western Water News

Living on a Smaller Colorado River Water Supply

Arizona, California, and Nevada are proving they can live with less.

More than 325 bird species make the round-trip each year along the Mississippi Flyway, from their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern United States to their wintering grounds along the Gulf of Mexico and in Central and South America. Learn More »

Great Blue Heron flies over water
News

Inflation Reduction Act is Making a Difference for Water Resources, Rural Communities, Birds

Significant climate legislation one year after passage.
An Eastern Meadowlark vocalizing with its beak wide open. It's a small bird, yellow on the belly with a black stripe running from its shoulder to its center. The back is rufous with mottled black pips. Its face has a pop of yellow between its beak and eye, and there's strong speed stripe racing from the back of the eye towards the rear of the head. The bird is perched on a wood post and the background is soft warm and green tones in a creamy bokeh.
Working Lands

National Audubon Society Names Ashly Steinke its Grassland Ecologist for Wisconsin

Will build landowner relationships that help the Audubon Conservation Ranching program grow
Coasts

Louisiana’s Most Ambitious Coastal Restoration Project Finally Takes Off

By redirecting Mississippi River sediment, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion will combat the state’s land-loss crisis.

The Atlantic Flyway is home to a wide variety of ecosystems—and more than a third of the human population of the United States. Protecting birds and their habitats from human activity and the threat of sea-level rise is at the forefront of Audubon’s mission in this flyway. Learn More »

Audubon Mural Project

Eastern Black Rail by Yulia Avgustinovich

Location: 307 Elm Street NW, Washington D.C. 20001
Great Blue Heron flies over water
News

Inflation Reduction Act is Making a Difference for Water Resources, Rural Communities, Birds

Significant climate legislation one year after passage.
The 14 year old Painted Bunting being held.
News

‘Old Man Bunting’ Nearly Breaks the Age Record for Painted Buntings

A male Painted Bunting visited a South Carolina backyard for 14 years, making him one of the oldest birds ever documented for the species.

Hemispheric Partners

Audubon works with 19 BirdLife International partners and others across the Americas to protect birds throughout their annual life cycles of breeding, migration, and wintering. Learn more »