Who are they?

Without them, our forests would be virtually silent. Their existence is threatened by habitat destruction and fragmentation.

Neotropical migrant birds are the songbirds that represent over 50%, more precisely, 340 of the 600 species, of North American birds. As spring begins, more than 300 species of Neotropical migratory birds head north to breed and raise young in the United States and Canada. In the fall they return to warmer climates in tropical regions of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

The annual migration of North America's Neotropical migratory birds is a biological wonder. It's hard to imagine that a Blackpoll Warbler that nests in the Northern States, makes an 86-hour, 2,300-mile nonstop flight across the Atlantic. These tiny birds must double their body weight in the late summer and early fall to build up enough body fat to make the long-distance flight.