Do birds follow established migratory routes?
The migratory flights of many migrating birds follow specific routes, sometimes quite well-defined, over long distances. The shape of the continent determines the main routes of migration. These routes run north to south and include the Atlantic oceanic route, the Atlantic Flyway, the Mississippi Flyway, the Central Flyway, the Pacific Flyway, and the Pacific oceanic route (see Section 2). Geographic factors, ecological conditions and meteorological conditions determine such routes. The majority of migrants travels along broad airways within these flyways changing their flight direction in response to the direction and force of the wind. Some routes cross oceans or huge bodies of water. Some small songbirds migrate 500-600 miles across the Gulf of Mexico.
