Using the best available migration science to protect birds and the places they need across their full annual life cycles.
The mission of the Migratory Bird Initiative is to secure the future of migratory birds in the Western Hemisphere by reducing direct threats and protecting key places across the Americas in coordination with science, conservation and policy partners.
The Initiative brings together the latest spatial information on species distributions and movements across their annual cycles to identify priority areas for 458 species of migratory birds that regularly occur in the United States and Canada. We will use this information to define where and how to focus Audubon’s conservation investments in order to protect, restore and manage key habitat and also mitigate threats along full migratory pathways for these species.
Audubon expects to achieve these goals by 1) consolidating and elevating the best-available migration science, filling research gaps and identifying real-time threats throughout annual cycle; 2) strengthening connections and cooperation among key stakeholders such as government agencies, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions and the Audubon network, and 3) informing policy advocacy at the local, state and federal level to drive science-based conservation.
Migratory birds face threats during all stages of the annual cycle, and these threats are accelerating. Fortunately, scientific data, particularly during migration, are accumulating; however, we need to act swiftly and collectively to protect birds and the places they need before the opportunities to do so disappear. Partnerships will be central to the success of the Migratory Bird Initiative, and Audubon looks forward to building and strengthening relationships with other key research and conservation organizations.
If you are a researcher and would like to contribute data to Audubon's Migratory Bird Initiative, please fill out this Data Sharing Agreement. If you would like to contact us for more information, please email migratorybirds@audubon.org.
Every spring and fall, billions of migratory birds make journeys that test the limits of their endurance and present myriad challenges.
The new tracking station at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is contributing to a nationwide network.
An early trip to Alaska set the course of her life, but these days Smith has set her sights on migratory birds across the hemisphere.
This unmistakable emblem of the Everglades and other Southern wetlands may be changing its migratory behavior in response to human impacts on the ecosystem.
Researchers Laurie Goodrich and Rebecca McCabe are demystifying the long journeys of these migratory raptors to better inform conservation efforts.
The organization's ever-growing Motus Wildlife Tracking System provides key data for migratory bird conservation.
Scott Yanco’s research on the migration and ecology of this reclusive owl can give the bird a fighting chance.
The U.S. Geological Survey's Bird Banding Lab "puts a ring on it" and reveals the wonders of birds migration.
By providing and advancing the technology behind increasingly accurate maps, the GIS giant plays an integral role in effective nature conservation.
As the body of migration research grows exponentially, providing access to data and connecting scientists allow for more collaboration and public engagement.
