Principal Routes From North America 



W. W. Cook presented seven of the more important generalized 

 routes for birds leaving the United States on their way to various 

 wintering grounds (1915a; Fig. 18). When migrants return 

 northward in the spring, they may follow these same routes, but it is 

 not known for certain whether they do. These routes are discussed in 

 the following sections. 



Atlantic Oceanic Route 



Route No. 1 (Fig. 18) is almost entirely oceanic and passes directly 

 over the Atlantic Ocean from Labrador and Nova Scotia to the Lesser 

 Antilles, then through this group of small islands to the mainland of 

 South America. Most of the adult eastern golden plovers and some 

 other shorebirds use this as their fall route. As we mentioned 

 previously, radar has indicated strong fall movements of warblers 

 from the New England coast out over the Atlantic to points south 

 along this route. Since it lies almost entirely over the sea, this route is 

 definitely known only at its terminals and from occasional 

 observations made on Bermuda and other islands in its course. Some 

 of the shorebirds that breed on the Arctic tundra of the District of 

 Mackenzie (Northwest Territories) and Alaska fly southeastward 

 across Canada to the Atlantic coast and finally follow this oceanic 



-J. 



Principal Western Routes 

 Most Extensively Used Routes 

 Atlantic Coast Routes 

 Atlantic Oceanic Route 



Figure 18. Principal migration routes used by birds in passing from North America to 

 winter quarters in the West Indies, Central America, and South America. Route 4 is 

 the one used most extensively while only a few species make the 2,400 mile flight down 

 Route 1 from Nova Scotia to South America. 



