There are many different migration routes that are called ‘flyways’.  As they migrate,  the birds start to get tired.  This is because they have a long way to go!  How would you feel running a marathon over and over again?  Exhausted, right?  This is why birds of prey usually need some help to get where they are going. 
    One way they can save energy is from "riding" updrafts that come from cold fronts.  (See the top diagram to the right.) Updrafts push air up, making a current of air that raptors ride on, saving them energy so that they can go longer distances.  Updrafts are formed by very strong winds hitting mountain ridges.  The air currents follow the shape of the mountain, rising until it goes up and over the mountain. 
    Another way the raptors save energy is by riding thermals. Thermals are created by the sun heating up the ground and air close to the ground in open areas such as fields.  (See bottom right diagram.)  The heated air rises up creating something like an elevator for the raptors.  They ride the thermals up and up, and then at the peak they soar off in their intended direction.  Click here to visit our Flight page.
     Each raptor generally migrates at the same time each year.  For example, most Broad-winged Hawks migrate in the middle of September.  Mostly all the raptors migrate sometime between mid-September and the end of November.
     During migration it can be very dangerous for raptors.  Many of them die because of starvation, thirst, and exhaustion.  Also, getting lost and being eaten are other threats to migrating raptors.
     A question that many people have asked is “How do the birds know their way to their final destination?”  Raptors know their way because of the position of the sun in the sky.  Also, they sometimes fly along mountain ridges and coastlines until they reach where they are going. They rarely fly over large bodies of water because there are no thermals.
    The magnetic fields in the ground may be used for some raptors as a sort of a compass.  Night fliers like owls sometimes use the moon and stars to decide where to go.
    Sometimes raptors may migrate thousands of miles.  For example, Swainson’s Hawks migrate 7,000 miles in their trip to a warmer climate.  Raptors know when to migrate when they can’t find any food, and when they notice the days are getting shorter!