A record-breaking 1 billion birds were in flight over the eastern U.S. overnight on Oct. 8 according to a nonprofit group that tracks the fall migration.

Overnight on Wednesday, Oct. 8, an estimated 1.25 billion birds were in flight from the Midwest and Eastern seaboard of the U.S., to southern states and South America, according to according to BirdCast a migration-tracking website, operated The Cornell Lab , Colorado State University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst .

Among estimated the 1.25 billion birds, 5 million crossed through Michigan , according to data from 7:10 p.m. on Oct. 8 and to 7:50 a.m. on Oct. 9.

The intense level of traffic had been recorded previously on Sept. 25, 2025, and Oct. 6, 2023, however, Oct. 8 marked the highest level recorded, Birdcas

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