image of American RedstartEach summer, the American redstart and 109 other species of neotropical migrants travel to the Midwest to raise their young.

Among the colorful Midwestern songbirds that we enjoy each summer are "neotropical migrants," or birds that make a trip during our winter season to the tropical habitats found from southern Mexico to Argentina.

Of North America's songbirds, about 255 species are neotropical migrants. They nest in the U.S. and Canada, but spend most of the year in the neotropics--the Caribbean Islands, Mexican lowlands and Central and South America. In the Midwest alone, 110 of these songbird species migrate each spring from the tropics. Here, they find plentiful food to raise their young.

With fall comes a trip back to the tropics where they can find insects, nectar and fruit, plus a milder climate. Most neotropical migrants depend on insects for food, so migration is essential to surviving our winter season. Some travel many days and weeks, and thousands of miles mostly at night, to reach their winter destinations in the tropics.

The primary wintering region for midwestern tanagers, vireos, warblers and other neotropical songbirds stretches from southern Mexico to Colombia and northern Venezuela. Because long distance migration is risky, as many as half of the young don't survive their first migration.

Midwestern and tropical landscapes have both drastically changed over the years, leaving less habitat for migrant songbirds. When a forest, wetland or grassland is lost or fragmented, birds return to find part of their habitat missing. They must locate another suitable area or perish.

The land area of Central America is much smaller than the combined area of the U.S. and Canada. So, each acre in Central America must hold six or seven times as many birds as an acre of their breeding grounds. If an acre of the migratory songbirds' winter habitat is lost, many more birds are affected than if an acre on the breeding grounds is lost.

Actions are now being taken by state, federal and international conservation agencies and organizations to preserve our neotropical migrants. By better understanding the needs of migrating birds and with attention to their survival, we'll continue to enjoy our tropical birds as they search for summer.

Migration Notes

SCARLET TANAGER

map of scarlet tanager range[image of scarlet tanagers]South America is home to more than 250 tanager species, most of them brightly colored. Two of those tanager species, the summer and scarlet, migrate to North America each spring to nest. Male scarlet tanagers are vibrant red in summer, but in winter they're olive-green like the females.

Habitat: During summer, scarlet tanagers feed on insects and fruit in the canopy of oak-hickory forests and in large shade trees of the eastern U.S. and southern Canada. They winter from Panama south to Bolivia, foraging in tall trees of mountain forests.

BAY-BREASTED WARBLER

map of bay-breasted warbler range[image of bay-breasted warbler]One of 56 species of warblers in North America, the bay-breasted migrates through the Midwest to nest in northern spruce-fir forests. The bay-breasted warbler moves through the trees, hopping from branch to branch, feeding on insects.

Habitat: Bay-breasted warblers spend summers in coniferous forests of the northern U.S. and into Canada. Panama, Venezuela and Colombia are their winter range, where they feed in flocks along woodland borders.

CERULEAN WARBLER

map of Cerulean warbler range[image of cerulean warbler]A warbler of the treetops, cerulean warblers catch flying insects and nest in the tall elms, maples and basswoods near water. The cerulean warbler's nest is decorated with mosses and spider silk. During the spring, watch for cerulean warblers migrating through the Mississippi River Valley.

Habitat: Nesting range is in the central and northeastern U.S. into Canada. Cerulean warblers search for insects in the mountain forests of Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia during the winter.

OVENBIRD

map of ovenbird range[image of ovenbird]You're most apt to see ovenbirds walking along the forest floor. These large warblers call "teacher, teacher, teacher" as they go, turning over leaves with their bills in search of snails, worms and insects. Ovenbirds nest on the forest floor, building a nest with a roof for protection.

Habitat: Ovenbirds spend summer in the forests of the central and eastern U.S. and Canada. Wintering grounds range from Mexico to northern South America and the West Indies.

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK

map of rose-breasted grosbeak[image of rose-breasted grosbeak]Grosbeaks are chubby birds with heavy bills used for gathering and eating beetles, seeds and fruits. The grosbeak's song is a beautiful, robin-like carol. In winter, a male grosbeak's feathers are mottled brown and white, with only a hint of rose.

Habitat: Summer areas include open woodlands of the eastern U.S. and central Canada. Winter habitat is forest borders and scattered trees from Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela.

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD

map of ruby-throated hummingbird range[image of ruby-throated hummingbird]In summer, hummingbirds can be found in the Midwest wherever flowers bloom. To drink nectar from the flowers, hummingbirds need special flight--they can hover and fly backwards, sideways, up and down (plus they've been clocked at speeds of 60 m.p.h.). Strong breast and shoulder muscles help them fly across 600 miles of Gulf water in spring and fall.

Habitat: Ruby-throated hummingbirds nest in the open woods of the central and eastern U.S. in summer. Winter grounds are from south Texas and Mexico to Costa Rica.

NORTHERN ORIOLE

map of northern oriole range[image of northern oriole]Finding an oriole's nest in summer isn't easy. Hidden in the upper branches of a tall maple or elm, the nest looks like a gray basket, woven of milkweed silk, plant fibers and hair. Northern orioles feed in the trees, searching for caterpillars, beetles and fruit. During winter, orioles drink mostly nectar from flowers.

Habitat: Northern orioles nest throughout the U.S. and into Canada. Wintering habitat includes scattered trees and woodland borders from Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela.

AMERICAN REDSTART

map of American redstart[image of American redstart]Redstarts flit among tree branches, drooping their wings, fanning their tails and leaping into the air to catch insects. A warbler, the American redstart is a bird of the forest edge. In Latin America, the redstarts are known as "mariposas," or butterflies.

Habitat: Nesting areas are in forest of the midwestern and northern U.S. and southern Canada. American redstarts winter from Mexico to the West Indies and northwestern South America.

WOOD THRUSH

map of wood thrush range[image of wood thrush]The liquid song of the wood thrush floats through many Midwest woodlands and forested city parks in spring. Wood thrushes catch insects and eat fruit from trees and shrubs.

Habitat: In the summer, you'll find the wood thrush in moist forests of the eastern U.S. and southern Canada. Winters are spent from Texas and Mexico to Colombia.

BOBOLINK

map of bobolink range[image of bobolink]The bobolink is the only North American bird that has light feathers above and dark feathers below, coloration that helps bobolinks hide from predators in the blowing grasslands. Male bobolinks court a female by strutting, with their pointed tail feathers dragging the ground.

Habitat: The bobolink's summer range is grasslands of northern U.S. and southern Canada. Wintering grounds are rice fields, marshes and pasture in southern Brazil and the grasslands or "pampas" of Argentina. Each spring and fall, bobolinks travel more than 5,000 miles between winter and summer ranges.

PARTNERS IN FLIGHT

The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Program

Partners in Flight logosPartners in Flight is an international effort to focus resources on solving the problems that face neotropical migrant birds. Partnerships have formed among countries, government agencies, conservation organizations, educational institutions, private industries and concerned individuals, all centering on the study and conservation of neotropical migrants and their habitats.

These partnerships coordinate efforts to track bird numbers, assess habitat availability, avoid overlap in ongoing scientific studies, help manage against the decline of certain species and inform each other and the public about their efforts and needs. In each region, working groups assist with the activities among partners. You, too, can help this hemispheric effort.

More information about the Partners in Flight program can be obtained through your state or national conservation agencies, or by writing to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, 1120 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 900, Washington, D.C. 20036.

Copyright 1993 Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri
Credits: Songbird watercolors by Catherine McClung, Dexter, Michigan. Produced in cooperation with the Handley Corporation, manufacturers of Granary Harvest birdseed.

Content revision: 20040702