Tens of Millions of Birds Pass Through Just Two Western U.S. Corridors
Approximately 80 percent of all Lawrence’s goldfinches migrate through California s Central Valley every spring. Alan Schmierer/Flickr
California’s Central Valley and the Colorado River Delta host tens of millions birds every year during the spring migration, according to a new study published in the journal
Ornithological Applications. The findings highlight the regions as critical corridors for conservation, with up to 80 percent of some species’ populations passing through the two areas.
Scientists have long suspected that the Central Valley and the Colorado River Delta were vital migratory stopovers, but “there really wasn’t any kind of science or data to back up those claims,” William DeLuca, lead author of the study and a migration ecologist for the National Audubon Society’s Migratory Bird Initiative, told
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California’s Central Valley and the Colorado River Delta host more than 82 million birds every year during the fall migration, according to a new study published in the journal Ornithological Applications.
California’s Central Valley and the Colorado River Delta host more than 82 million birds every year during the fall migration, according to a new study published in the journal Ornithological Applications. The findings highlight the regions as critical corridors for conservation, with up to 80 percent of some species’ populations passing through the two areas.
Scientists have long suspected that the Central Valley and the Colorado River Delta were vital migratory stopovers, but “there really wasn’t any kind of science or data to back up those claims,” William DeLuca, lead author of the study and a migration ecologist for the National Audubon Society’s Migratory Bird Initiative, told Audubon magazine. “I don’t think we realized just how important they