Migratory birds & flyways: 10 most-asked questions—answered by a wildlife expert

Meet the Expert

This episode features two WWF experts from across the globe:

• Vivian Fu, Senior Manager of the Wetlands for Asian Flyways Initiative, WWF-Hong Kong
• Mr. Rajendra Suwal, WWF-Nepal

Learn more

• Wetlands for Asian Flyways
• Wetlands for wings
• Healthier floodplains in Nepal will benefit people and migratory birds
• The chicks of my homeland
• Active participation of children in a campaign “Chicks of My Town”

Transcript

Hi everyone, I'm Callie from World Wildlife Fund, and today we are tackling one of nature's greatest travel stories: flyways and migratory birds. Welcome back to Wildlife Café. Grab your coffee, grab your tea, and get cozy because today's conservation coffee chat is gonna take us thousands of miles across the globe without us ever leaving our seats.

Number one: what is migration and why do birds migrate?

Migration is the seasonal journey animals make from one place to another and back again. So many animals, from whales to wildebeest to monarch butterflies, migrate. For birds, migration can mean flying hundreds or even thousands of miles between their breeding grounds and the places where they spend the rest of the year.

At its core, migration is all about survival. As the seasons change, food and other resources shift too. Many birds take advantage of the short, insect-filled summers in polar regions to raise their young, then head to more equatorial areas, or even cross to the other hemisphere as temperatures drop and food becomes harder to find.

Number two: what are some migratory birds?

Migratory birds come in every shape and size, from tiny shorebirds to massive raptors. In the US, over 70% of North American birds are migratory. Some you may recognize include mallards, ruby-throated hummingbirds, and sandhill cranes, all of which travel astonishing distances twice per year.

But migration is not just a North American story. In other parts of the world, birds like the black-faced spoonbill, the white-naped crane, and the bar-headed goose make incredible journeys of their own. We'll learn more about these species later in the episode.

Number three: so what exactly is a flyway?

Think of a flyway like a bird highway, a route that connects birds' breeding grounds all the way to its wintering grounds, shaped by geography like coastlines, mountain ranges, river systems, and dotted with all the wetlands and rest stops a bird needs along the way.

There are many different groupings of flyways, and we can generally group the world's bird migration routes into nine major flyways. Together, they connect nearly every corner of the planet.

The East Asian-Australasian Flyway is one of the busiest, most species rich, and most threatened flyways on earth, and the one that connects many of the birds we're talking about today.

It stretches from breeding grounds in the Siberian Arctic and Alaska, down through East and Southeast Asia, all the way to Australia and New Zealand. Some birds cover more than 8,000 miles one way. Along this single flyway, more than 50 million migratory waterbirds from over 250 populations make the journey every year.

Number four: do birds migrate alone or in flocks?

Both actually. Large birds like geese and pelicans often fly in V formations, which helps them save energy by riding the air currents created by the bird in front of them. Because leading is the hardest job, they take turns at the front. Smaller songbirds usually migrate in loose groups rather than neat formations.

Scientists once thought they traveled mostly alone, but recent research suggests that many species actually seek each other out and stick together during migration, kind of like finding a travel buddy.

Number five: why do birds migrate at night?

Good question. Many songbirds and shorebirds actually migrate under the cover of darkness. Nighttime air tends to be cooler and calmer, which means less turbulence and less risk of overheating during a long flight. And there are far fewer daytime predators like hawks on the hunt.

In North America, more than 80% of migrating birds fly at night. Many birds also use star patterns to help determine their flight path, which brings us to our next question.

Number six: how do birds know where they're going?

Birds don't just wing it randomly. Like I mentioned earlier, many species are believed to navigate using the position of the sun and stars, the Earth's magnetic field, and even landmarks like coastlines and mountain ranges in patterns passed down through generations.

Scientists think much of that magnetic sense comes down to quantum physics. Long story short, birds have light-sensitive proteins in their eyes that behave differently depending on their alignment with Earth's magnetic field, essentially letting some birds "see" magnetic north.

Many young birds also seem to inherit a rough sense of direction and distance genetically, which is how a bird can complete its very first migration solo without ever having flown the route before. And when weather or terrain throws off one of these systems, birds are able to cross-check against the others, layering sun, stars, magnetism, and memory into one very reliable internal GPS.

Crazy, right?

Number seven: what makes a good rest stop for migratory birds?

Just like us on a road trip, birds need places to refuel. These stopover sites, usually wetlands, mud flats, or river deltas, are where birds land to rest and eat enough to fuel the next leg of the journey.

Across the East Asian-Australasian Flyway alone, more than 1,060 individual sites have been identified as internationally important stopovers. Losing even one critical site can be devastating because a bird that can't refuel simply might not have the energy to complete its migration.

A fun follow-up fact: some long-distance migratory birds, like the bar-tailed godwit, build up massive fat reserves and temporarily shrink their internal organs to maximize flight efficiency and endurance during long-distance journeys. But they still need to stop over to fuel up again.

Number eight: so how extraordinary are these journeys?

Honestly, almost unbelievable. Let's dive into four fascinating facts about some crazy bird journeys.

Number one, the bar-headed goose migrates over the Himalayas, with some individuals having been recorded at altitudes upwards of 23,000 feet. That's higher than the cruising altitude of some small aircrafts, and this is thanks to some seriously impressive lungs and blood chemistry built for thin air.

Number two, the Arctic tern holds the record for the longest migration of any animal on the planet. One tracked bird flew from Greenland to the Weddell Sea near Antarctica and back in a looping S across the Atlantic, covering over 50,000 miles in a single year.

Number three, the bar-tailed godwit holds the record for the longest nonstop flight ever recorded by a bird. A juvenile just a few months old flew about 8,425 miles from Alaska to Tasmania without landing once for 11 days straight. No layovers, no snack breaks. Talk about frequent flyer miles.

Number four, last but not least, the demoiselle crane pulls off one of the most dramatic high-altitude migrations on Earth, crossing the Himalayas twice a year to move between their breeding grounds in the steppes of Central Asia and their wintering grounds in northwest India and Pakistan. In autumn, tracked birds have been recorded soaring over the mountains at altitudes over 24,000 feet, a thin-air, no-tailwind marathon for a bird that weighs only around five pounds.

Number nine: so why are migratory birds important?

Migratory birds aren't just a pretty watch. As they travel, they disperse seeds, pollinate plants, and control pests by eating crop-damaging bugs. Some species move nutrients across entire ecosystems too. Seabird droppings alone can dramatically boost plant growth on the islands where they nest.

And when bird species disappear, the gap can be felt. For example, after vulture populations collapsed in India, losing their carcass cleanup role is estimated to have cost 34 billion dollars in added health costs over about a decade.

When we protect the habitats migratory birds depend on, we also protect countless other species that share those ecosystems. And the benefits extend to people too, safeguarding fisheries, freshwater supplies, and habitats that store carbon and help combat climate change.

Number 10: so why are migratory birds in trouble?

Because migratory birds depend on so many different places across their journey, they face threats at every stop along the way. The biggest threat is loss of wetlands and stopover habitat.

Coastal tidal flats and wetlands across Asia are being drained, developed, or converted for agriculture and infrastructure at an alarming rate, and over 60% of Asian waterbird populations have declined or been lost over just the past few decades as a result. When even one crucial stopover site disappears, it can break the chain for an entire flyway of birds.

Climate change is also shifting the timing of seasons, which can throw off the delicate schedule birds rely on. Arriving at a stopover site too early or too late can mean missing the food they need. Add in threats like illegal hunting and taking along some flyways, avian diseases, plus light pollution — bright city sky glow can disorient night migrating birds and pull them towards buildings, contributing to millions of fatal collisions every year.

Number 11: so what is WWF doing?

At WWF, we are working across flyways, not just single sites, to give migratory birds a fighting chance. One way we do this is through our Wetlands for Asian Flyways Initiative. Through this program, we are working to protect and connect networks of wetlands across the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and Central Asian Flyway, so migratory birds always have a safe place to land.

Here to tell us more about this is Vivian Fu, the senior manager of the Wetlands for Asian Flyways Initiative from WWF-Hong Kong.

Welcome, Vivian.

Hi, Callie. Thanks for inviting. Well, we always say: birds do not need a passport to cross the borders. A shorebird resting on a coastal mudflat in Hong Kong today might be in Thailand next week.

So our mission is very simple. We must collaborate across borders. Especially in the two Asian flyways, they have threats like urbanization, development and habitat loss, diseases, and climate change. To address all these crisis, protecting just only isolated sites are not enough. We have to think big and conserve the entire landscape at a flyway scale to keep these habitat connected.

And that's exactly why WWF established the Wetlands for Asian Flyways Initiative back in 2019. Through this initiative, we are building resilience, interconnected networks of critical wetlands across both the East Asian-Australasian and the Central Asian Flyways. Our goal is to protect key stopover, breeding, and wintering grounds, so migratory birds can always have a safe place to feed, to rest, and to breed.

But what makes this work so special is that the wetlands aren't just vital for birds, they are also lifelines for human communities. Healthy wetlands store carbon, they buffer rivers from flooding or coastline invasion, like typhoons, clean our drinking water, and support local livelihoods like agriculture and aquaculture.

When we protect wetlands for migratory birds, we are directly investing in the well-being of people too. WWF offices are collaborating with local communities and working on restoring and protecting wetlands, which are important for migratory birds. So over to you, Callie.

Thanks so much, Vivian!

This initiative has led to some super cool restoration projects across Asia. Here are some success stories from countries along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

First, let's take a visit to Nepal.

Here to tell us more about Nepal's migratory birds is Mr. Rajendra Suwal.

Hi, Callie. Many thanks for having me in your Wildlife Café. Bar-headed geese wintering along the Narayani River migrate to their breeding grounds in the Namco Lake cluster in Tibet at an altitude of over 15,500 feet, underscoring the international importance of this trans-Himalayan flyway.

The lake cluster lies roughly 500 miles northeast of Narayani River and 300 miles north of Mount Everest. The project restored and enhanced 21 open marshes as feeding habitat within Chitwan National Park and its buffer zones, covering an area of twenty-three hectare, thereby reducing birds' dependence on increasingly vulnerable agricultural land and on degrading river channels and floodplains along the Narayani River.

Key actions included the protection, construction, and restoration of surrogate wetlands through shallow wetland restoration, invasive vegetation management, marsh maintenance, promotion of safer agriculture practices, awareness-raising to curb human persecution of birds, and promotion of sustainable tourism.

The project engaged twenty local youths as bird champions, training them in bird monitoring, data collection, community engagement, and responsible bird-watching tourism. Together, they form a local network linking science, communities, and conservation actions. Having conducted over sixty interactive sessions, fortnightly bird observation in the restored wetlands, and biannual wetland bird counts during fall and spring season across the Narayani floodplain.

The project has also produced multimedia materials on wetland and migratory birds conservation, a design model and construction guideline for shallow wetlands, a wetland bird identification guide, and a bird monitoring protocol.

The baseline of 4,500 ruddy shelduck and 2,500 bar-headed geese recorded in 2025 rose by fifteen percent in 2026, a visible result achieved within two years. The surprise sighting of a rare sarus crane during this period is a further indicator of the recovery of healthy wetlands surrounded by open farmland.

By connecting wetland restoration, youth leadership, community stewardship, safer agriculture, and nature-based tourism, the project is helping safeguard the Narayani River floodplain as a resilient wintering landscape for bar-headed geese and other migratory birds, a healthy wetlands ecosystem for both people and wildlife. Safe wetlands for Asian Flyways in Chitwan National Park.

Back to you, Callie.

Thanks so much, Rajendra.

Now let's hop over to Hong Kong. Here's Vivian Fu again to tell us more.

So yay, we actually have some good news right here from Hong Kong! Introducing to you the black-faced spoonbill, which was once down to just a few hundred individuals back in the '80s, but has been making a steady, inspiring recovery. In fact, just in the 2026 international black-faced spoonbill census, which was powered and driven by dedicated birdwatchers and community scientists, we recorded a record high of 7,746 birds globally.

And I was proud that I had been one of the surveyors. And this comeback of the species is a true testament of decades of international collaboration between governments from different countries, cities, and sites, researchers, and local communities.

It is grounded in a long-term habitat protection and management at key wetland sites along its flyway, including right here. I am at Hong Kong's Mai Po Nature Reserve, which WWF Hong Kong co-manages with the government. And thanks to these sustained population gains of the black-faced spoonbill, it is now officially down-listed on the IUCN Red List from endangered to vulnerable. And this is a remarkable milestone showing that cross-border conservation can achieve conservation success when we commit to it for the long term.

Although we are celebrating this success story, we cannot take our foot off the gas just yet because emerging threats like coastal habitat loss, development, avian diseases, and poorly planned renewable energy infrastructure mean the recovery is still very fragile.

With the black-faced spoonbill, the success story is a powerful reminder that even our greatest conservation success stories will need continuous protection.

Thanks, Vivian.

And finally, my favorite story. In Mongolia, community-based conservation is saving white-naped cranes. WWF Mongolia helps run a network of school eco clubs where kids learn to monitor local wildlife. A few years ago, two 12-year-old twins in one of these eco clubs near Ekhen Bird Lake noticed white-naped cranes nesting nearby but never saw any chicks.

So, they investigated and found that local livestock and dogs were trampling and disturbing the crane nests.

They worked with their community, nine herding households with over 1,000 animals between them, to relocate and leash dogs during the nesting season. And it worked. Chicks started showing up, learning to fly right alongside their parents. These kids became conservation heroes, aptly named the Chick Guardians.

This year, the number of Chick Guardians increased from 30 to 50. With support from WWF-Mongolia, teachers, and rangers, the children conduct bird observations across six lakes throughout the cranes' nesting and chick-rearing season of May to August. The Chick Guardians map the surrounding areas, identify herder household locations, and count dogs that may pose a threat to crane chicks.

As part of their conservation activities, they visit neighboring herder households and encourage families to avoid disturbing nesting sites. So far, 20 households support the children's initiative by keeping their dogs leashed during this critical period.

Once a year, the guardians come together to share their experiences and lessons learned, sharing monitoring techniques with fellow Eco Club members. How inspiring is that?

Number 12: what can you do?

Birds are everywhere, and there's so much you can do in your community to support your resident and migrating birds.

First, get inspired by the community action we just learned about, like the citizen surveyors from the black-faced spoonbill census and the Chick Guardians, and get into community science.

Everyday people like you can have real lasting impact, and an easy way to start is simply by recording what you see. Every time you log a bird sighting through an app like eBird or iNaturalist, or take part in a local bird count, you're adding a data point that helps researchers track how migratory bird populations are changing over time. Every sighting really does add up.

Second, protect the rest stops closest to you. Leash dogs outdoors and keep cats indoors, especially during migration season. Outdoor cats kill an estimated 2.4 billion birds a year in the US alone. And turn off unnecessary outdoor lighting at night, especially in the spring and fall, since that's when light pollution does the most damage to night-migrating birds.

And lastly, share what you've learned with your friends, family, really anyone who will listen. The more people know these journeys are happening right over their own backyards, the more they'll care about protecting the amazing birds around them.

If you care about wildlife, make sure to like, follow, and share this video. Now go out, watch the skies, and see if you can spot a migratory bird passing through. And don't forget to log what you see, because every record really does matter.

We'll see you again for our next Conservation Coffee Chat on Wildlife Café.

Have a favorite migratory bird fact we didn't cover today? Let us know in the comments!