Real-Time Migration Maps & Forecasts

Nightly migration forecasts, radar loops, and links to every state’s Lights Out page.

Watch bird migration unfold in real time.

This flow map turns weather-radar measurements into a live picture of where birds are flying, how many are aloft, and the speed and direction of their movement. Hover a radar site for flight details, scroll to zoom, and drag to pan.

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Bird density
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data collected
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NEXRAD animation (Source: U. of Wisconsin)

Learn more about light pollution

Bird Migration Forecast (Next 3 Nights)

Totals shown in million birds.

Updated daily

Lights Out guidance

If your city is within its peak migration window, dim or turn off non-essential outdoor lighting from 11 pm–6 am and close shades to reduce skyglow.

Why “Lights Out” helps

  • Reduces collision risk by lowering skyglow and drawing fewer birds into brightly lit urban cores.
  • Conserves energy & saves money by dimming or switching off non-essential lighting during peak migration.
  • Protects habitat quality by keeping nights darker for resting birds near important stopover hotspots.
Migratory flow animation
50% of migrants pass on just 10% of seasonal nights

How to use “Lights out alert forecast”

  • The alert maps show relative migration intensity. This differs from migration intensity maps, which show absolute intensity.
  • Context matters: intense migration in one region can be low in another (e.g., south Texas vs. Colorado).
  • Using relative intensity enables alerts across the U.S. tuned to local conditions.
  • Alert levels: no alert, low, medium, high.
  • High alert (red) nights are ~10% of the season (~9 nights) but account for ~51% of total movement.