Using radar to understand migratory birds and their habitats: Critical needs for the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

Nearly all Neotropical migratory landbird species of the eastern United States as well as many western species use Louisiana and the northern Gulf of Mexico coast during their transcontinental migrations each spring and fall. Radar has determined that hundreds of millions of birds make the nocturnal crossing of the Gulf of Mexico resulting in daily flights of as many as 2.5 million individuals stopping in Louisiana to feed and rest. These migration landings are so spectacular that the term “fallout” has been coined to describe the concentrations of birds arriving on the coast.