Migratory Birds - Disney Animals

Thousands of species of birds migrate each year. The migrations coincide with the seasons, as birds fly to warmer feeding grounds in the winter, then back to breeding grounds in the spring.

Because one-third of Walt Disney World Resort—over 8,000 acres—has been set aside as a protected wildlife area, over 200 bird species make their home here—either seasonally or year-round. So bird watchers—and listeners—be ready!

Great Spots for Birdwatchers

Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park is home to some remarkable non-native migratory birds. Here’s where to see them:

• Spot northern pintail ducks and other migratory birds at the Oasis Exhibits near the main entrance to the park
  
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• Find bar-headed geese at Maharajah Jungle Trek
  
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• Look for white storks at the Tree of Life

Migratory birds abound at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. Here you’ll encounter fantastic flyers from around the globe, including:

• Bar-Headed Geese: Bar-headed geese are some of the world’s highest flyers. To cross the Himalayas they soar to altitudes higher than Mt. Everest. That’s over 29,000 feet (8,849 meters)!
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• White Storks: White storks breed in the wetlands of Europe, the Middle East and west-central Asia, then cross entire continents to winter in southern Africa—often flying over the Sahara Desert without stopping.

• Purple Martin “Hotels”: Disney Cast Members are working to monitor and protect the purple martin, a small songbird. The purple martins at Walt Disney World Resort travel an incredible 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from their winter grounds in Brazil, with one important mission: to raise their young. Disney is happy to host our purple martin families with special housing. So keep an eye out for the white nesting compartments installed for them throughout the Resort.

Migratory bird species around the world are threatened by loss of stopover habitat where they can find food and clean water as well as by pollution and impacts caused by human development.

The Walt Disney Company is committed to saving wildlife and protecting the magic of nature together as a global community. Since 1995, the Disney Conservation Fund* (DCF) has supported migratory bird conservation efforts by protecting habitats, investing in long-term research and supporting the education of communities that live in and near migratory bird habitats. In addition, support from the DCF is helping nonprofit organizations study and protect purple martins from Brazil to Florida.

The Siberian crane is critically endangered due to the loss of wetland habitat along its migratory route. Support from the DCF has helped conservation groups save Siberian cranes through population monitoring and by protecting important stopover sites along their 3,000-mile (4,800-km) flyway.