{"id":4097,"date":"2026-04-16T16:51:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T16:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=4097"},"modified":"2026-04-20T21:45:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T21:45:26","slug":"americas-flyways-atlas-maps-the-routes-of-89-at-risk-migratory-bird-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=4097","title":{"rendered":"Americas flyways atlas maps the routes of 89 at-risk migratory bird species"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-317648\">\n<div class=\"bulletpoints-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"bulletpoints\">\n<ul>\n<li><em>A newly released \u201cAtlas for the Americas Flyways\u201d tracks the high concentrations of 89 migratory bird species that are at risk of major population decline throughout the western hemisphere. It identifies their breeding grounds, wintering areas and stopover locations.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>This marks the first time these hemispheric migratory routes have been mapped in such extreme detail. Hyper-specific location data aim to provide policymakers, conservationists and others with the necessary tools to make informed decisions about protecting migratory bird species all along their flyways.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The atlas highlights migratory connectivity \u2014 identifying key locations in North, Central and South America. Maintaining the environmental integrity of these places is critical to supporting migratory species and includes many tropical hotspots such as Mexico\u2019s Yucat\u00e1n Peninsula and the Pantanal wetland in Brazil and Paraguay.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The atlas will also be of use to researchers trying to understand why a species\u2019 population is declining. It can also help planners mitigate perilous threats by providing geographical data as to where, and where not, to build infrastructure.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"content-expander\"><span>See All Key Ideas<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Announced at the end of March, the \u201cAtlas for the Americas Flyways\u201d website tracks high concentrations of migratory bird species at risk of major population declines along their routes throughout the Americas.<\/p>\n<p>This new United Nations-backed tool identifies heavily trafficked breeding grounds, migratory stopover locations and wintering areas, with the aim of providing policymakers and conservationists with actionable, location-based guidance on where and how to protect and conserve these species.<\/p>\n<p>It closely tracks 89 at-risk migratory bird species out of the 622 that traverse North, Central and South America. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cms.int\/atlas-americas-flyways\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">Available for everyone to explore<\/a>, the atlas presents a useful, fascinating and fun opportunity to explore the annual journeys of these birds.<\/p>\n<p>The atlas was developed by researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). Its mapping spans the 56 countries that make up the Americas, explains CMS executive secretary Amy Fraenkel, and focuses on the Atlantic, Pacific and mid-continent flyways.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317653\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Americas-flyways-atlas-maps-the-routes-of-89-at-risk-migratory.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The buff-breasted sandpiper, highlighted in the new atlas, is a migratory bird species with an elevated risk of extinction due to rapid population declines driven by habitat loss in its South American wintering grounds and at migratory stopover sites. Image courtesy of Luke Seitz via Cornell Lab of Ornithology.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The mapping tool was created using 20 years of data gathered on the Cornell Lab\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/ebird.org\/home\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">eBird<\/a> website, an online database and citizen-science project that tracks bird distribution and abundance. Compiling the atlas wouldn\u2019t have been possible, say researchers, without voluntary input from this vast global community of non-scientists.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is one of the first times that an intergovernmental agency has promoted the outcomes of participatory science at a really high-level policy manner,\u201d says Tom Auer, an ornithologist at Cornell University who helps manage eBird Status and Trends, and who spoke with Mongabay by phone. \u201cIt\u2019s really exciting for people who are participating in these projects to see that the work they do has real-world impact in terms of \u2026 policy and how governments make plans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The atlas is made up of two appendices: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cms.int\/species\/appendix-i-ii-cms\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">Appendix I<\/a> \u201ccomprises migratory species \u2026 assessed as being in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range,\u201d according to the CMS, and it features five species: the Andean flamingo (<em>Phoenicoparrus andinus<\/em>), buff-breasted sandpiper (<em>Calidris subruficollis<\/em>), cerulean warbler (<em>Setophaga cerulea<\/em>), saffron-cowled blackbird (<em>Xanthopsar flavus<\/em>) and semipalmated sandpiper (<em>Calidris pusilla<\/em>). Appendix II is made up of 89 \u201cmigratory species that have an unfavourable conservation status and that require international agreements for their conservation and management.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Auer pinpoints Central America as the most integral region for these at-risk migratory species, as it links the two continental land masses via narrower choke points. The atlas specifically zeroes in on the Maya forests of the Yucat\u00e1n Peninsula, used as wintering grounds and as a northbound migratory pathway for many species.<\/p>\n<p>The Pantanal in Brazil and Paraguay, the world\u2019s largest tropical wetland, is a principal wintering location for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cms.int\/species\/appendix-i-ii-cms\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">Appendix II<\/a> species. Alaska is also distinctly important, Auer notes, because it\u2019s a breeding area for long-distance migratory birds that nest in the far north and winter in South America.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317651\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Americas-flyways-atlas-maps-the-routes-of-89-at-risk-migratory.png\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317651\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Americas-flyways-atlas-maps-the-routes-of-89-at-risk-migratory.png\" alt=\"The Atlas for the Americas Flyways. Purple represents high concentration of bird species, while beige represents low. Atlas users can zero in to very specific locales and at-risk migratory bird density all along the flyways. Image courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.\" width=\"1867\" height=\"968\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Americas-flyways-atlas-maps-the-routes-of-89-at-risk-migratory.png 1867w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16153950\/2-Atlas-1-768x398.png 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16153950\/2-Atlas-1-1536x796.png 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16153950\/2-Atlas-1-1200x622.png 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16153950\/2-Atlas-1-610x316.png 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1867px) 100vw, 1867px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Atlas for the Americas Flyways. Purple represents high concentration of bird species, while beige represents low. Atlas users can zero in to very specific locales and at-risk migratory bird density all along the flyways. Image courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317654\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776721523_209_Americas-flyways-atlas-maps-the-routes-of-89-at-risk-migratory.png\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317654\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776721523_209_Americas-flyways-atlas-maps-the-routes-of-89-at-risk-migratory.png\" alt=\"In the Atlas for the Americas Flyways, the highest concentrations of the 89 Appendix II migratory birds in Brazil are reported along the Amazon River and in the Pantanal region. Image courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.\" width=\"1867\" height=\"968\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776721523_209_Americas-flyways-atlas-maps-the-routes-of-89-at-risk-migratory.png 1867w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16154018\/5-Atlas-2-768x398.png 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16154018\/5-Atlas-2-1536x796.png 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16154018\/5-Atlas-2-1200x622.png 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16154018\/5-Atlas-2-610x316.png 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1867px) 100vw, 1867px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the Atlas for the Americas Flyways, the highest concentrations of the 89 Appendix II migratory birds in Brazil are reported along the Amazon River and in the Pantanal region. Image courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Researchers say they hope that identifying such hotspots will be of value to policymakers and conservationists seeking ways to protect migratory birds. Habitat loss and degradation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birdlife.org\/news\/2025\/10\/10\/restoring-habitats-key-to-fighting-extinctions\/#:~:text=The%20update%20shows%20that:%20*%201%2C256%20(11.5%25),the%20world's%20bird%20species%20have%20declining%20populations\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">account for the largest threat<\/a> to birds. Society\u2019s need for more agricultural land and timber, along with urbanization of former natural lands to support growing human populations principally explain why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birdlife.org\/news\/2025\/10\/10\/restoring-habitats-key-to-fighting-extinctions\/#:~:text=The%20update%20shows%20that:%20*%201%2C256%20(11.5%25),the%20world's%20bird%20species%20have%20declining%20populations\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">61% of all bird species have declining populations<\/a> as of 2025, according to BirdLife International , that figure stood at 44% in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Migratory connectivity ties the Americas together, say the atlas researchers. As birds traverse the continents annually, they use breeding grounds, wintering areas and stopover sites that are sometimes thousands of miles apart. These locales may seem like isolated points. But when seen in the atlas, these points taken together offer a fluent linkage between the many places millions of migrating birds rely on for survival. Viewed this way, these flyway stopping points become extremely important \u2014 and also fragile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s that connection between where they breed and where they spend the winter that really defines their connectivity and then helps you focus and understand what are the threats at different points along the way,\u201d Auer explains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s really important is understanding how these different places are connected,\u201d agrees Peter Marra, an ornithologist and dean of Georgetown University\u2019s Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, who spoke to Mongabay by phone and wasn\u2019t part of the atlas project. Knowing where migratory birds are exposed to specific threats as they make their journeys is crucial to their conservation, he says.<\/p>\n<p>Auer notes that the atlas offers a hemispheric view of migratory routes and bird abundance not mapped out in such detail before. The spatial resolution of 3 kilometers by 3 kilometers (1.9 by 1.9 miles) can help pinpoint precise locations for policymakers to focus conservation on.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317652\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776721523_602_Americas-flyways-atlas-maps-the-routes-of-89-at-risk-migratory.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317652\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776721523_602_Americas-flyways-atlas-maps-the-routes-of-89-at-risk-migratory.jpg\" alt=\"The saffron-cowled blackbird, native to the marshes and grasslands of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina, has seen its population decline by 80% in recent decades due in part to habitat degradation and destruction. Image courtesy of Fernando Farias via Cornell Lab of Ornithology.\" width=\"1125\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776721523_602_Americas-flyways-atlas-maps-the-routes-of-89-at-risk-migratory.jpg 1125w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16153959\/1-saffron-cowled-blackbird-768x699.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16153959\/1-saffron-cowled-blackbird-610x555.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1125px) 100vw, 1125px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The saffron-cowled blackbird, native to the marshes and grasslands of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina, has seen its population decline by 80% in recent decades due in part to habitat degradation and destruction. Image courtesy of Fernando Farias via Cornell Lab of Ornithology.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201c[P]artner countries could look at the [atlas] together for these groups of species and say, \u2018Hey, we\u2019ve got some common spaces here across these species that we share. Let\u2019s prioritize and focus on those places to do work to benefit [these] species,\u2019\u201d Auer says.<\/p>\n<p>The atlas could also help researchers determine the reasons a species is struggling, whether due to hunting, habitat destruction, pollution, or other causes, Fraenkel tells Mongabay. Policymakers, conservationists and planners can also use the hyper-specific geographical data presented in the atlas to know where, and where not, to build. Or if development is a must, efforts could be made to lessen its impacts. The birds are \u201cgoing to come whether we build or not,\u201d says Fraenkel. \u201cAnd there are things that can be done to accommodate them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Banner image:<\/strong> The cerulean warbler, a near-threatened species, breeds in North America and migrates thousands of miles to winter in the Andes Mountains of South America. It also makes stopovers all along the way. Image courtesy of Luke Seitz via Cornell Lab of Ornithology.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"f9x8nFDR1p\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/04\/half-of-seabirds-are-declining-protecting-marine-flyways-could-help-save-them\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Half of seabirds are declining. Protecting marine flyways could help save them<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute , visibility: hidden ,\" title=\"\u201cHalf of seabirds are declining. Protecting marine flyways could help save them\u201d \u2014 Conservation news\" src=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/04\/half-of-seabirds-are-declining-protecting-marine-flyways-could-help-save-them\/embed\/#?secret=ABYjgN2Opu#?secret=f9x8nFDR1p\" data-secret=\"f9x8nFDR1p\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Citations:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pucheta, F. M., Pereda, I. M., &#038; Di Giacomo, A. S. (2024). Saffron-cowled blackbirds\u2019 reduced nest success in Argentina\u2019s agricultural land highlights the importance of non-agricultural habitat for its conservation. <em>Ornithological Applications<\/em>, <em>126<\/em>(2). doi:<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/ornithapp\/duae006\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">10.1093\/ornithapp\/duae006<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>FEEDBACK: <a href=\"https:\/\/form.jotform.com\/70284580836159\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">Use this form<\/a> to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page.<\/b><\/p>\n<div id=\"single-article-footer\">\n<div class=\"container in-column about-editor-translator gap--40 pv--80\">\n<div class=\"container grid--3 repeat gap--40\">\n<div class=\"in-row gap--16\">\n<div class=\"author-avatar\">\n                    <img alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nations-not-on-track-to-meet-UN-2030-pesticide-risk.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/975100c711ed9f4e4736fd7fa588cb07b44dc86ff3a043a9113559110473e565?s=64&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-32 photo\" height=\"32\" width=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/>        <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>                            <span class=\"article-comments\"><a href=\"\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"\/><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A newly released \u201cAtlas for the Americas Flyways\u201d tracks the high concentrations of 89 migratory bird species that are at risk of major population decline throughout the western hemisphere. It identifies their breeding grounds, wintering areas and stopover locations. This marks the first time these hemispheric migratory routes have been mapped in such extreme detail. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-biodiversity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4097"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4099,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4097\/revisions\/4099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}