Migrations: You're Going the Wrong Way!

During migration, some birds change orientation, often by a full 180 degrees, and travel almost the same distance — but in the opposite direction — as the rest of their species. The phenomenon is called misorientation. First-year birds are particularly susceptible. Many vagrant birds never find their way back on course, but some do, getting more comfortable with the route each year.

BirdNote^®

You’re Going the Wrong Way!

Written by Ariana Remmel

This is BirdNote.
   [Yellow-green Vireo song https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/325197691]
A Yellow-green Vireo sings on its summer breeding grounds in Belize. This migratory songbird looks remarkably like the Red-eyed Vireo commonly seen in the Eastern U.S., with a bright white eyebrow and striking red eye.
   [Yellow-green Vireo song https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/325197691]
In the fall, most Yellow-green Vireos head to South America to wait out the winter months. But wait! This particular vireo is going north instead! You’re going the wrong way!
   [Clip from Planes, Trains and Automobiles: “You’re going the wrong way!”]
For reasons biologists don’t fully understand, some birds change orientation, often by a full 180 degrees, and travel almost the same distance as the rest of their species — but in the opposite direction!
The phenomenon is called misorientation. It’s one of the most common errors in migration patterns among songbirds, especially those in their first year. For this reason, every now and then, a wayward Yellow-green Vireo ends up northward in … say… California.
Unfortunately, many of these birds that we call "vagrants" never find their way back to their native range. But some of the disoriented birds do eventually find the proper route, getting more comfortable with the journey each year.
   [Yellow-green Vireo song https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/325197691]
For more about how to see rare migratory birds in your area, start at our website, BirdNote dot org.
I’m Mark Bramhill.

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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Production Manager: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
Digital Producer: Conor Gearin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Yellow-green Vireo ML325197691 recorded by F. Canto Jr.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© September 2021/ 2024 BirdNote Narrator: Mark Bramhill
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