Using AI to track bird migration

On hearing the first cuckoo of spring, the poet’s heart might sing, and while one swallow does not make a summer, the annual migrations of bird species across continents have fascinated us for centuries. Today, however, technology is giving ornithologists the means to follow these incredible journeys in ways that would have been unimaginable to earlier generations of naturalists.

Research in the International Journal of Global Environmental Issues shows that artificial intelligence (AI) is being used by conservationists to help predict bird migration timing and patterns. The technology might allow them to identify how climate change and habitat loss are affecting the journeys of many migratory bird species.

The team looked at research into machine learning and deep learning models used to analyze migration, habitat preferences and bird populations. They explain that machine learning refers to computer systems that identify patterns in data, while deep learning is a form of machine learning that uses layered neural networks to detect more complex patterns.

Increasingly, automated sound-recording devices that pick up bird calls and songs as they migrate overhead are providing useful data where visual monitoring is not possible.

These remote monitoring systems can operate for long periods with relatively little human intervention, building up a picture of migration activity over many nights, seasons and even years. They offer researchers a way to monitor birds at a scale that would be extremely difficult to achieve with conventional field observations.

This technology could strengthen monitoring as habitats and migration routes respond to rising temperatures, changing rainfall and land development. More accurate forecasts will help determine which habitats require greater protection and inform policy to ensure migratory bird conservation remains central to climate adaptation strategies.

Who’s behind this story?

Swati Mestri

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space.

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Robert Egan

Bachelor’s in mathematical biology, Master’s in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language.

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