Where Do Your Robins Go for the Winter?

Analyzing Banding Data from UFWS Office of Migratory Bird Management

Nobody has ever ridden with a robin, so how do we know where they go? We contacted Alan Davenport of the UFWS Office of Migratory Bird Management in hopes of learning what banding data show about robin migration. Mr. Davenport has graciously supplied hundreds of REAL BANDING records for you! Since we want to know migration patterns, he selected records from birds that were:

• BANDED during breeding season (May - July)
• RECOVERED during winter months (December - January)

The banding data is organized by flyway. Find which flyway your state is in, then click on that flyway and you'll discover where your robins have been reported on their winter vacation. Note: All Canadian Provinces are listed together, and are NOT organized geographically by flyway.

After analyzing the data for your state or province, see if you can answer the Challenge Question at the bottom of the page.

Atlantic Flyway

Mississippi Flyway

Central Flyway

Pacific Flyway

Canadian Provinces

How to Respond to Journey North Challenge Question # 3

1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-robin@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #3
3. In the body of the message, give your answer to this question:

Challenge Question # 3
"According to banding data collected over the past 60 years, where do robins that breed in your state or province go for the winter? (Or, if robins winter where you live, where do you think your robins go to breed?)"