Migration Time: The Songbirds Returning to Illinois This Month

We're looking at temperatures next week in the 70s, but a quick bit of warmth in March isn't always a sure sign that spring is springing...but something else is. If you’re looking for one of the first real signs that spring is on the way in Illinois, look up, and listen.

Over the next several weeks, migrating songbirds will begin returning to Illinois after spending the winter in warmer parts of the country or in Central and South America. For many of us across Northern Illinois, the sound of birds returning to the trees and backyards is one of the most welcome signs that winter is finally starting to loosen its grip.

Some of the earliest returning birds are red-winged blackbirds, which often show up in wetlands, farm fields, and roadside ditches in late February or early March. Soon after, familiar backyard birds like American robins, common grackles, and song sparrows begin appearing more frequently.

As March continues, birdwatchers may also start seeing eastern phoebes, killdeer, brown thrashers, eastern bluebirds, tree swallows, and yellow-rumped warblers moving back into the region.

But Wait, There's More...

By April, migration really picks up. Northern Illinois yards, parks, and forests may begin filling up with colorful and energetic songbirds like Baltimore orioles, rose-breasted grosbeaks, scarlet tanagers, indigo buntings, white-throated sparrows, and a wide variety of warblers, including palm warblers, black-and-white warblers, and yellow warblers.

Northern Illinois sits along the massive Mississippi Flyway, one of the busiest bird migration routes in North America. Millions of birds travel through this corridor every spring and fall, which is why the region becomes such a hotspot for bird activity during migration season.

Here's How To Make Your Yard More Attractive To Returning Songbirds

Bird feeders stocked with black-oil sunflower seeds, nyjer seed, or suet can attract many different species. Fresh water in a birdbath can also be a huge draw, especially for birds that are stopping to rest during their long migration journeys.

Planting native flowers, shrubs, and trees can help even more by providing insects, berries, and natural shelter that birds rely on throughout the spring and summer.

So, if you start hearing birds singing early in the morning again, take it as a good sign that after months of cold temperatures, gray skies, and snow, the return of songbirds is one of nature’s clearest signals that spring in Northern Illinois is finally on the way.