Publication Citation

USGS Series Fact Sheet
Report Number 2005-3067
Title Using Radar to Understand Migratory Birds and Their Habitats: Critical Needs for the Gulf of Mexico
Edition -
Language ENGLISH
Author(s) Smith, Gregory J.; Barrow, Wylie
Year 2005
Originating office National Wetlands Research Center
USGS Library Call Number
Physical description 2 p.
ISBN

Online Document Versions

Copies of the original may be available.

For more information or ordering assistance, call 1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747), visit http://ask.usgs.gov, contact any USGS Earth Science Information Center (ESIC), or write:

USGS Information Services
Box 25286
Denver, CO 80225
Abstract

Nearly all Neotropical migratory landbird species of the eastern United States as well as many western species use Louisiana and the northern Gulf of Mexico coast during their transcontinental migrations each spring and fall. Radar has determined that hundreds of millions of birds make the nocturnal crossing of the Gulf of Mexico resulting in daily flights of as many as 2.5 million individuals stopping in Louisiana to feed and rest. These migration landings are so spectacular that the term 'fallout' has been coined to describe the concentrations of birds arriving on the coast.