Citizen scientists have conceived an online tool to map entire annual journeys of migratory bird species across the Americas.
The new tool unveiled at the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), mapped 89 highly vulnerable migratory bird species to provide governments, scientists and conservationists a perspective for focusing on taking urgently needed action to protect them.
The tool — Americas Flyway Atlas, also known as ‘Invisible highways of the sky’ — developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology identifies critical breeding locations and stopovers of these migratory birds that are facing growing pressure owing to habitat loss, expanding infrastructure and climate change. The Americas flyway stretches from the Canadian Arctic to Chile’s Patagonia.
At least 622 migratory bird species depend on a fragile chain of habitats that encompasses 56 countries and experiencing rapid decline. They include 437 landbirds, 183 waterbirds and 62 seabirds.
The tool maps some of the most iconic and ecologically important migrant bird species classified as Vulnerable or Near Threatened under the ICUN Red List including Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis), Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea), Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) and Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica).
It was conceived by contributions of over one million citizen scientists sharing their observations across the Americas and documenting more than 2.2 billion bird observations on eBird, a global data platform.
These birds have seen rapid population declines or are threatened owing to habitat loss across grasslands, shorelines, tropical forests, and high‑Andean lakes, demanding coordinated action for conservation.
“Drawing on many millions of citizen-science observations submitted through the eBird platform, combined with advanced scientific modeling, the Atlas identifies “Bird Concentration Areas” — key hotspots where high abundances of CMS Appendix I or II-listed bird species gather in large numbers at different stages of their migration,” a UN statement said.
The Atlas listed species identified under CMS Appendixes - I and II which have different protections. Of these, five bird species are identified under Appendix I species + 88 Appendix II. Four species are on both Appendix 1 and 2, while 84 are only on Appendix 2.
The statement noted, “From the Arctic-breeding Hudsonian godwit to the high-Andean flamingo and North America’s rapidly disappearing Cerulean warbler, these birds depend on multiple ecosystems across borders. A single weak link — a drained wetland, fragmented forest, disrupted stopover site — can jeopardise entire populations.”
The Atlas makes it all visible on a continental scale for the first time. It aims to bridge the gap between aligning action across borders for species that have not been recognised.
“This atlas shows what becomes possible when millions of bird observations contributed by people across the Americas are brought together,” said Chris Wood, program director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Center for Avian Population Studies and eBird. “Combined with modern modeling, these contributions become a powerful tool for conservation. By turning these observations into clear maps of where migratory birds concentrate during breeding, migration, and winter, the Americas Flyways Atlas helps governments and conservation partners focus their efforts where they can make the greatest difference.”