How long does it take birds to migrate?
A one-way migration can take anywhere from several weeks to 4 months. The pace of migration tends to be faster in the spring, with the pace picking up as a bird gets closer to its breeding area. For example, a blackpoll warbler heading from Florida to Alaska may take as long as a month to cover the first 1000 miles (an average of about 30 miles a day), whereas the final 2500 miles may take only 2 weeks (an average of 180 miles per day). For most birds, the pace in the fall tends to be more leisurely and more evenly paced. Typically, migration is accomplished in a series of flights lasting from several hours to several days. Between flights, birds make pit stops for resting and “re-fueling” which last anywhere from a day to a few weeks.
