Tracking Monarch Butterfly Migration

Month by month, where are robins and what are they doing? Explore the annual cycle to discover how robins respond to the seasons.

Scientists have many questions about where, how, and why monarchs form roosts during fall migration. What can we learn about fall migration by studying overnight roosts?

Most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds winter between southern Mexico and northern Panama. Rufous Hummingbirds winter in southern California and Mexico. The first spring migrants arrive in the United States in early March.  When will the first hummingbirds reach their breeding grounds this season?

Fueled by the nectar, hummingbirds double their weight as they prepare to fly hundreds or even thousands of miles. Males leave first, as early as mid-July. Females follow, and then the young who migrate for the first time all alone.

As spring advances and sunlight increases, a host of natural events are set in motion. Temperatures rise, ice melts, soil warms, and plants grow. When will your local habitat be ready to provide what hummingbirds will need?

• Look at the images for clues about what hummingbirds need.
• Use the guiding questions to explore the sun-driven chain of events that must occur before breeding habitat is ready for hummingbirds.
• Mark up a map to predict when and where hummingbirds will arrive.

Each year when Ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate north, they arrive on the breeding grounds with one main focus—producing a successful new generation. This involves several critical steps.