Category: Conservation

Every fall and spring, just like how thousands of students use the American highway system to return to home or school, hundreds of species of birds use a system of “flyways” to migrate according to the seasons. A flyway is an intricate pathway connecting all the regions birds use, including breeding, non-breeding, and staging areas. The American flyways can be roughly broken up into four distinct regions: the Atlantic Flyway, the Mississippi Flyway, the Central Flyway, and the Pacific Flyway. Flyways are complex and their borders are often hard to outline (parts of all the American flyways converge in Panama), but the birds that use them travel astonishing distances each year as part of their fascinating life cycles. Explore the flyways below and meet some of the charismatic species that use them! 

The Atlantic Flyway 

The Atlantic Flyway extends across the Eastern seaboard and contains iconic locations such as Chesapeake Bay, the Florida Everglades, and the Caribbean islands. The ecosystems in this flyway are incredibly diverse. From broadleaf forests and shrublands to coastal salt marshes, birds of all kinds depend on the natural resources across the region. 

Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) are regionally threatened or endangered and live on beaches, flats, and sandbars in coastal, Great Lakes, and Mississippi river waters. They are exclusively found in North America and are subject to the pressures of habitat loss and human disturbance. The birds are shy, preferring natural beaches without humans nearby. Conservation efforts have focused on protecting existing habitat and creating new habitat by dividing beaches to foster quieter, undisturbed habitat while still preserving recreational opportunities for people. As of 2020, their population numbers have been increasing. A pair actually nested on Montrose Beach in Chicago in 2019, the first time a nesting pair was seen in the area in half a century, and three birds were recently released by the Fish and Wildlife Service on that same beach this past July 2023.  

The Mississippi Flyway 

The Mississippi flyway follows the Mississippi river from its headwaters in Minnesota to its outlet into the Gulf of Mexico and across the gulf into South America. The migrating birds depend on the many prairies, wetlands, and forests found in the Mississippi river basin. The topography of this region is so flat that migrating birds do not need to adjust their height or direction to avoid geographical features like they do in the other flyways.  

The endangered whooping crane (Grus americana) utilizes the Mississippi flyway to travel from nesting grounds in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and other Midwest states south to wintering grounds in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. The population reached a low of 15 individuals in 1942 and was estimated to be between 50 and 249 mature individuals in 2020. Migration patterns are a learned behavior in this species, posing unique challenges when trying to create new populations. To counteract this, researchers trained young cranes to follow an ultralight aircraft which was then flown across the United States from Ontario and Wisconsin down to wintering sites in Florida. 

The Central Flyway 

This flyway stretches from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico and connects the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest deserts, the great plains, and countless wetlands, grasslands, highlands, and desert ecosystems. The topography and varying climate causes migratory birds to take less direct routes to avoid the more inhospitable areas.  

When they hear the word “cuckoo” most people think of the European cuckoo, which is famously featured in cuckoo clocks made in the Black Forest region of Germany, but the cuckoo family of birds has members residing across the world, including North America. The yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) can be found across much of the central and eastern parts of the United States, preferring riparian habitats (the edges of rivers, lakes, streams, and other bodies of water). Cuckoos are known for their strange and diverse calls, and the yellow-billed is no exception with at least six defined vocalizations including coos, knocks, kawlps, and croaks. Yellow-billed cuckoos are currently listed as a species of least concern but have been experiencing decline over the past few decades and are considered endangered in certain states. They have mostly disappeared from the westernmost states of the central flyway, as droughts and the building and use of dams have greatly degraded the available riparian habitat.  

The Pacific Flyway 

The Pacific Flyway includes Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii and supports the migration of more than a billion birds across rainforests, coastal marshes, scrublands, deserts, mountains, and more. A larger network of state and federally protected lands in this region also provides more habitat for these species, lending to the abundance of wildlife seen throughout. 

The yellow-billed loon (Gavia adamsii) is the largest member of the loon family which also includes the common loon, a rare but exciting visitor to the Wildlife Medical Clinic. Yellow-billed loons spend their summers in the high arctic tundra, fishing and breeding on the pristine lakes and rivers found throughout. They winter along the southern coast of Alaska and, rarely, along Washington, Oregon, and California. This species is extremely susceptible to pollution from oil and gas drilling and transport, as they depend on clean water and abundant sources of fish. 

Loons have solid bones just like penguins and ostriches, but, unlike penguins and ostriches, loons are still capable of flight. The solid bones greatly decrease their buoyancy and aid in swimming, making them some of the best diving birds on the planet. These solid bones also mean that loons are heavy and awkward out of the water. Unlike other waterfowl such as ducks, loons are only capable of taking off from and landing in water, as they need a long wind-up directly into the wind to gain the lift they need. The increase in paved surfaces and the heat mirages they generate means that loons often mistake roadways as waterways and land on them. Without any water, they are then unable to take off again. 

Just like all life on Earth, the flyways that migratory birds use are complex, beautiful, and not-entirely understood. In time we will unlock the secrets of the flyways, but it is important that we also protect the birds who depend on them. If you are still curious or would like to learn more about the flyways, you can find more information on them at www.Audubon.org/birds/flyways.  

Written by Tyson, Class of 2026

References: 

BirdLife International. 2020. Charadrius melodus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T22693811A182083944. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020- 3.RLTS.T22693811A182083944.en 

BirdLife International. 2020. Grus americana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T22692156A181242855. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22692156A181242855.en. 

Captive-reared Great Lakes piping plovers released at Montrose Beach | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (2023, July 13). FWS.Gov. https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-07/captive-reared-great-lakes-piping-plovers-released-montrose-beach-help 

Elliott-Smith, E., & Haig, S. M. (2020). Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), version 1.0. Birds of the World. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.pipplo.01 

Hughes, J. M. (2020). Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), version 1.0. Birds of the World. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.yebcuc.01 

Life Adaptations—Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved August 12, 2023, from https://www.nps.gov/gaar/learn/nature/common-loon-3.htm 

Piping Plover | Audubon Field Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2023, from https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/piping-plover 

Piping Plovers Nest in Chicago for the First Time in Over Half a Century | Audubon. (2019, June 28). https://www.audubon.org/news/piping-plovers-nest-chicago-first-time-over-half-century 

The Flyways | Audubon. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2023, from https://www.audubon.org/birds/flyways 

Urbanek, R. P., & Lewis, J. C. (2020). Whooping Crane (Grus americana), version 1.0. Birds of the World. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whocra.01 

Whooping Crane | Audubon Field Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2023, from https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/whooping-crane 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo | Audubon Field Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved July 22, 2023, from https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-billed-cuckoo 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2023, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-billed_Cuckoo/overview 

WMC Program Coordinator Sydney Oliveira and Dr. Danielle Lang share tips to be mindful of wildlife safety as we move into Spring!

February is the month when we show love to those who are important to us. Here are some ways to show love to the wildlife in your local neighborhood:

1. Provide a habitat that is welcoming to wildlife.

You can attract wildlife to your property by ensuring the environment is welcoming to the animals. One way to accomplish this is by growing native plants in your garden. Native plants will attract an assortment of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and birds, which will in-turn make your garden thrive. Native plants can also provide food and shelter for other wildlife. Recommendations for native Illinois plants to attract wildlife can be found here: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2022-09-15-attracting-wildlife-native-plants

It is also important to note that pesticides can be deadly to many of our wildlife species, including our pollinators. It is best to limit pesticide use and avoid application of any pesticides to plants when any animal or insect is nearby. The US environmental protection agency lists a variety of resources to assist in reducing pesticide impacts on animals. More information about this can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/tips-reducing-pesticide-impacts-wildlife

Another way to welcome wildlife to your neighborhood is to have bird houses on your property. This can be a great opportunity to provide shelter, warmth, and nesting options for the birds near you. The National Wildlife Federation has recommendations on how to choose the right bird house here: https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2010/Best-Bird-Houses

2. Do not feed wildlife

It can be really tempting to feed wild animals, especially the cute opossums or raccoons that
may show up on your back porch. However, we strongly advise you not to do this. This is because when a human feeds a wild animal, the animal then becomes unafraid of human interaction. This loss of fear can lead to dependency on humans for food instead of hunting for the food themselves. If the human then moves away from that location, they have left the wild animal with the inability to fend for itself, making it an easier target for predators. Additionally, a loss of fear in humans, leads wildlife to move into suburban areas where there is increased motor vehicle activity and more chance of an animal being hit, which leads to an increase in wildlife injury and death.

Bird feeders are the one exception to this. These feeders can be beneficial to birds, especially in extreme temperature changes when resources may be scarce. However, it is important to be sure to clean your feeder frequently and ensure that there is no current outbreak of Highly pathogenic avian influenza in your area; doing so can prevent the transmission of infections to other birds in your area.

3. Leave the animals alone.

If an animal is not injured or obviously orphaned, it is always best to leave the animals alone. This may occasionally be difficult to determine depending on the species, especially since wildlife animals like to hide any signs that they are sick or injured. Besides obvious signs of injury like “hit by a car,” and “visible blood,” an animal may show less obvious signs that they may be sick or injured including:
– The animal is not able to perform its normal behavior. Hawks are supposed to fly, and squirrels are supposed to easily climb trees. If the animal cannot do these normal actions, then they could be sick or injured.
– The animal is not afraid of humans and doesn’t evade capture. Wild animals are fearful of humans because they view us as predators that they need to escape from. Usually this means that the animal won’t be in the same location as humans; they will prefer to be as far away as possible from human interaction. If an animal is not showing fear of you when you approach it or if you see an animal in an area closer to humans, this could be a sign of sickness or injury.

To the untrained eye, it may also be difficult to determine if a baby animal is orphaned. One thing to keep in mind is that every species interacts with their young in different ways and at different times of the day. Therefore, just because you don’t see the mom, doesn’t mean the animal is an orphan. For example, mother rabbits will only return to the den twice a day- once in the morning and once after dusk. If you find a rabbit den filled with babies, it is best to leave the babies alone, unless injured, and observe to see if mom has returned later in the day. This can be done by placing leaves or twigs over the den; if mom has returned, you will notice that the leaves have been disturbed.

For more information on what to do if you find an animal in need, visit our website at https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wildlife/hospital/wildlife-medical-clinic/resources-wildlife-fun-facts/. We are also available via phone or e-mail if you have any questions about a potential orphaned or injured animal. Please feel free to reach out to us at the Wildlife medical clinic via phone at 217-244-1195 or via e-mail at wmcchair@vetmed.illinois.edu. One of our volunteers will be able to answer your questions and advise on the best plan of action for the animal that you found