RIVER OF BIRDS

Each autumn, millions of birds of prey fly south out of North America. They stream down the eastern shore of Mexico in a River of Birds that gathers into a torrent of raptorial birds by the time it crosses the isthmus of Panama. Biologists think that these birds do not eat during the passage through Central America. How do they manage a flight of several thousands kilometers without eating? The key is that many of these birds of prey are soaring hawks and vultures that catch the wind currents to lift them high into the sky where they can glide for long periods. There is a regular migration counting station in Vercruz, Mexico where the numbers of raptors are counted in September and October.

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