Birds on the move

Bird migration can be studied in a number of ways. Observation points for bird migration have existed for decades, serving as locations where significant concentrations of birds can be easily observed and their numbers, directions, phenology and other characteristics can be monitored. The scientific ringing of birds, which has a decades-long history, allows their movements to be tracked through identifying marks on each specimen.

Weather radars, although more modern, have been found to aid in evaluating migratory bird phenology and volume, greatly enhancing our understanding of bird movement and various factors related to migration, such as phenology, abundance, direction and timing. Finally, although there are other systems, a method developed in recent decades involves tagging birds with remote tracking systems in order to allow frequent daily location updates throughout the lifespan of the tagged bird, an approach that has significantly advanced the study of bird migration.

Since 2011, the Migra programme has focused on tagging birds with remote tracking devices, although it also aims to study other systems in order to understand bird migration. This website offers information on general migration concepts, the methods used in the Migra programme so far, and the mapping that enables the visualisation of bird migration through interactive videos, while also providing access to publications on the species studied throughout the years that the programme has been running.