Each spring, millions of birds travel thousands of miles from Latin America and the Caribbean to their breeding grounds as far north as the Arctic. Months later, as the temperature drops and winter sets in, these migrants make the long trip back to warmer southern climates. One of nature's most awe-inspiring phenomena, migration has long fascinated and inspired its human observers.

Neotropical migratory birds—those that breed in North America and spend the winter months in the Tropics—are among the most attractive and interesting to America's 46 million birdwatchers. The Western Tanager, Wood Thrush, and Bobolink are among more than 300 species of Neotropical migratory birds facing an increasingly complex range of threats—from development pressures, invasive species, avian diseases, and a changing climate.

Fostering International Cooperation
By their very nature, migratory species are a symbol of the need for international efforts in nature conservation. To safeguard the future for Neotropical migratory birds, protections must be in place at every stop along their migratory routes. The United States has supported efforts throughout the Americas to foster cooperation in the protection of migratory birds, particularly through efforts of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act.

Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act: A Catalyst for Protection
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Grants Program is an innovative, cost-effective approach to bird conservation, supporting projects to benefit bird populations and their habitats, research and monitoring, law enforcement, and outreach and education throughout Canada, the US, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Like many migratory bird species, the Western Tanager, Wood Thrush, and Bobolink have all benefited from conservation efforts initiated under the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. As a matching grant program, it serves as a catalyst to leverage funding from a range of sources beyond the government. Since the program began in 2002, the US has invested more than $25 million in 262 projects in 44 US states, Canada, and 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries, leveraging an additional $112 million in partner funds to support these projects. Its potential reach is even greater: each year, grant requests from qualified applicants far exceed the program's available funding (in 2008, for example, the US Fish and Wildlife Service received a total of nearly $14 million in grant requests, but was only able to award $4.4 million).