Campo Grande, Brazil — A powerful new online tool mapping the full annual journeys of an initial 89 highly vulnerable migratory bird species across the Americas was unveiled today at the UN wildlife conservation meeting, CMS COP15, giving governments, scientists and conservationists an unprecedented view of where action is most urgently needed to protect them.
Developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the Americas Flyways Atlas pinpoints the critical breeding, stopover and wintering sites that migratory birds depend on to survive, many of which are under growing pressure from habitat loss, infrastructure and climate change.
Drawing on many millions of citizen-science observations submitted through the eBird platform, combined with advanced scientific modeling, the Atlas identifies "Bird Concentration Areas" – key hotspots where high abundances of CMS Appendix I or II-listed bird species gather in large numbers at different stages of their migration.
The Atlas covers an initial 89 species listed under CMS Appendices I and/or II and comes at a moment of mounting concern over the state of migratory species globally. Across the Americas flyways, which stretch from the Canadian Arctic to Chile's Patagonia, 622 migratory bird species rely on a fragile chain of habitats spanning 56 countries. Many are in decline.
From the Arctic-breeding Hudsonian godwit to the high-Andean flamingo and North America's rapidly disappearing Cerulean warbler, these birds depend on multiple ecosystems across borders. A single weak link – a drained wetland, fragmented forest, disrupted stopover site – can jeopardize entire populations.
The Atlas makes those links visible for the first time at continental scale.
Built to guide policy
Unlike traditional datasets, the Atlas is designed to guide real-world decisions, helping governments identify where conservation efforts will have the greatest impact.
It directly supports negotiations underway this week at COP15, where 133 Parties are debating new measures to protect migratory species, including proposals to list additional species and strengthen international cooperation on habitat protection and ecological connectivity.
By giving countries a shared evidence base, the platform aims to close one of conservation's biggest gaps: aligning action across borders for species that do not recognize them.
The Atlas arrives as pressure intensifies on migratory species worldwide – from habitat destruction and infrastructure to pollution and climate disruption, all issues high on the COP15 agenda this week in Brazil.
Among species of migratory birds covered in the Atlas are some of the most iconic and ecologically important migrants of the hemisphere, including:
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis), a Vulnerable grassland shorebird whose population has suffered rapid declines due to habitat loss.
- Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), a Near Threatened long‑distance migrant facing sustained but poorly understood declines.
- Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea), a Near Threatened forest songbird whose breeding habitat continues to shrink and fragment.
- Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), a Vulnerable high‑altitude species dependent on increasingly threatened Andean wetlands.
- Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica), a Vulnerable Arctic‑breeding shorebird reliant on a chain of sensitive stopover sites during its remarkable hemispheric migration.
These species exemplify the conservation challenges across the Americas Flyway, covering grasslands, shorelines, tropical forests, and high‑Andean lakes, and reinforce the need for coordinated international action.
Converting millions of citizen observations into action
"This atlas shows what becomes possible when millions of bird observations contributed by people across the Americas are brought together," said Chris Wood, Program Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology 's Center for Avian Population Studies and eBird.
"Combined with modern modeling, these contributions become a powerful tool for conservation. By turning these observations into clear maps of where migratory birds concentrate during breeding, migration, and winter, the Americas Flyways Atlas helps governments and conservation partners focus their efforts where they can make the greatest difference,"
CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel described the Atlas as "a major step forward for international cooperation on migratory bird conservation in the Americas. By bringing together cutting‑edge science and citizen‑generated data, this tool gives countries the information they need to identify and protect the places migratory birds depend on throughout their full annual cycles. Its launch at COP15 underscores our shared commitment to strengthening ecological connectivity across borders at a time when migratory species need coordinated action more than ever."
Said João Paulo Capobianco, Chair of COP15 and Executive Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Brazil: "Presiding over COP15 in Brazil means driving multilateral cooperation that unites shared science and joint commitments for the future of life on the planet."
"The Americas Flyways Atlas is a milestone in this strategy because it reveals, with unprecedented precision and clarity, the routes and key areas upon which the survival of migratory birds depends. By highlighting these ecological corridors that connect the biomes of the Americas, the platform becomes an irrefutable argument for more nations across our continent to join the Convention. Without protecting these stopover sites, migratory life throughout the hemisphere will be at stake."
By the numbers: Americas Flyways Atlas
56: Western Hemisphere countries covered by the Americas Flyway Atlas
622: migratory bird species in the Americas (437 landbirds, 183 waterbirds, 62 seabirds)
89: species initially featured in the Atlas tool (5 Appendix I species + 88 Appendix II. Note: 4 species are on both Appendix 1 and 2; 84 are only on Appendix 2)
2.2+ billion bird observations: eBird global data observations powering the Atlas
1+ million citizen scientists contributing observations across the Americas
3: Available languages for Atlas users: English, Spanish, Portuguese
Launch event
- 26 March 2026, 12:45 PM EDT / 16:45 GMT, COP15 Venue, Campo Grande Room
- Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SCCvH_e4vA
Speakers :
- Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary, Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
- Iván Ramírez, Head Avian Species Team, CMS
- Christopher Wood, Program Director, Center for Avian Population Studies, Director of eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Rob Clay, Chair of the CMS Flyways Working Group, COP-Appointed Co-Councilor for Birds
- João Paulo Capobianco, Chair of COP15, Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change
At a glance: CMS and COP15
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the governing body of CMS, which meets every 3 years to review progress, add new species under the Treaty, and strengthen actions to address conservation needs as well as continuing or emerging threats. Strong science underpins the COP's agenda, ensuring that policy discussions reflect the best available evidence on threats, population trends and effective response measures.
Bosque Expo, Campo Grande, Brazil ( bosquedosipes.com/bosque-expo ), Monday 23 March to Sunday 29 March 2026
COP15 Key issues and events (what's on the table, what to expect): https://conta.cc/4aK8t3K
About CMS
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals is a legally binding international treaty under the United Nations. By fostering international collaboration, supporting research, and developing conservation agreements and actions among the Range States, CMS promotes the long-term survival of migratory species of wild animals and their habitats and the vital benefits they provide.
132 countries plus the European Union are Parties to CMS, and several non-Party countries have signed one or more binding CMS Agreements to protect migratory species.
About Cornell Lab of Ornithology
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit, member-supported organization dedicated to the understanding and protection of birds, wildlife, and our shared planet through research, education, participatory science, and conservation. birds.cornell.edu
About CMS Appendices
Appendix I comprises migratory species in danger of extinction in the wild throughout all or a significant portion of their range. Parties that are Range States to a migratory species listed on Appendix I endeavour to strictly protect them by prohibiting the taking of such species (including the deliberate killing, capture or disturbance), with a very restricted scope for exceptions; conserving and, where appropriate, restoring their habitats; preventing, removing or mitigating obstacles to their migration; and controlling other factors that might endanger them.
Appendix II migratory species require international agreement for their conservation and management. It also includes species whose conservation status would significantly benefit from the international cooperation that could be achieved by an international agreement. This can include setting common objectives and management measures for shared populations, preparing and implementing joint action plans, coordinating monitoring and research, sharing data and best practices, and working together to conserve and restore key habitats along the species' migration routes. The aim is to ensure that protection and management efforts are aligned across borders so that conservation gains in one country are not lost in another.
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