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Field Stations
Region 4 Migratory
Birds Mission
Bird Banding Information Reporting a bird disease problem to the National
Wildlife Health Lab: Phone 608/270-2400 Play the Patuxent Bird Quiz Goose Information FWS, Washington, DC Office Benefits of Shade-Grown Coffee for Birds International Migratory Bird Day Migratory Bird Conservation Commission Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds Federal Threatened and Endangered Bird Species Shorebird Sister Schools Program Migratory Bird Office
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Migratory
birds are those 836 species that are identified and protected through
various laws and acts and entrusted to the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for their protection and management.
Most migrate south each fall from rather well-defined breeding grounds
to their wintering grounds. They may winter in habitats throughout
the Southeast Region, or even farther south into Mexico, Central and South
America and the Caribbean. In the spring they return north to their
breeding grounds, where young are produced and the cycle repeats. Resident
birds that do not migrate, such as quail, turkey and pheasant, are managed
solely through State Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and not by means of the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Why do we care about migratory birds? Migratory birds are an excellent indicator of the overall health of an ecosystem. When bird species are declining, everyone should be concerned. For the vast majority of people, birds provide an everyday contact with wildlife and the natural world, especially in the urban environment. Protecting birds makes good business sense. An estimated 63 million Americans participate in bird-related recreation, generating an estimated $20 billion for the U.S. economy. Some migratory birds face serious challenges and need our help. Several species are in decline because of habitat loss, collisions with artificial structures, and environmental contaminants. Migratory birds cross the boundaries of nations, watersheds, and ecosystems. Conserving them must be a cooperative effort that involves multiple jurisdictions and interests. Of the 836 protected migratory bird species, some 59 species are game birds. That is, hunting seasons could be developed for them. These Include ducks, geese, swan, various pigeons, woodcock, rails, snipes and gallinules and some sea birds. There are 777 species (93 percent) considered non-game birds. They are represented in groups such as marsh and wading birds (6%), birds of prey such as hawks, owls and eagles (9%), shorebirds (10%), sea birds (16%), and perching birds (59%). This last group makes up the song birds that come to our feeders, and the neotropical migratory birds that usually do not (because they are insect eaters and not seed eaters). We hear much talk about these "neo-trops" today. They are the warblers, vireos, flycatchers, hummingbirds, swallows, and others that migrate to wintering grounds south of the United States - in Mexico, South America and Central America, and in the Caribbean.Migratory birds are an important national and international resource and constitute one of North America's most highly valued natural heritage's. All these bird groups are being considered in the North America Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) in the United States, or at this location, NABCI. The Fish and Wildlife Service carries out its responsibility through a variety of special programs such as the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (US Site) North American Waterfowl Management Plan, (Canadian Site) US Shorebird Conservation Plan, Partners in Flight, (PIF) and The North American Waterbird Conservation Plan in order to conserve species directly through habitat protection and restoration. The Endangered Species Act does it share by identifying threatened and endangered species when they enter that fragile and highly visible status. An example are the State partners interacting through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration (Pittman-Robertson) Act. Also, Law Enforcement has become prominent due to enacted wildlife laws such as the pioneer legislation, the Lacey Act in 1900, aimed at preventing demise of species through interstate and foreign trade of wildlife shipments. Loss of migratory bird habitat has been a primary cause for declines in most species. We are currently conserving and managing over 3 million acres of National Wildlife Refuge lands in the Southeast, and the benefits to migratory birds are and will continue to be tremendous. A number of actions in the southeast region both on and off Service lands are taking place to assure perpetuation of North American migratory birds and their habitats. These actions incorporate international, national, regional governmental and private-sector partners in a comprehensive approach to assure that conservation measures are both effective and cost efficient. To download a copy of the 1998 Update to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, Expanding the Vision, click here. You may visit the United States Shorebird Conservation Plan. Or, you may download Shorebird Conservation Plans. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to be able to view these plans. If you do not have Adobe, you may download it for free. You may view this web site, Physiographic Areas Plans, to view and download the PIF plans for the Southeastern United States.
This page was last update
March 21, 2005
by Home Page - U. S. Fish
and Wildlife Service |
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