The Mysteries of Songbird Migration
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
A hermit thrush.
Bird Songs, Sounds
Courtesy: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Songbirds may be a familiar sight, but studying their migration patterns is difficult. They travel at night — thousands of feet in the air — defying scientists' attempts to track them.
Springtime is a bonanza for birders. That's when dozens of species fly north, from as far away as South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Saturday is International Migratory Bird Day. Miyoko Chu, scientific editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and author of Songbird Journeys, talks to Robert Siegel about the many mysteries of bird migration, the life span of songbirds and why you might see a huge concentration of birds in Central Park.
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