The American Goldfinch was voted the 2024 Haikubox Bird of the Year!
We used Haikubox data to create a heat map visualization of American Goldfinch identifications which shows that American Goldfinch vocalizations peaked in late April (when there were over 300,000 American Goldfinch calls and songs recorded by Haikuboxes per day!). This was followed by another, smaller burst of singing and calling which started in July and continued through September. Watch carefully to see some birds migrating north in the spring.
Consider watching the video on a loop (right click on the YouTube viewer) to catch the changes.
We also created heat maps for runner-up species, including one for Yellow-rumped warblers. This visualization of Haikubox data shows these warblers migrated north from their southern wintering grounds for the summer -- quite a feat for such a small bird. No wonder they are a favorite bird for many folks living in the southern US, where they are commonly spotted in the winter months.
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers migrated between their winter homes in the southern US to more northern locations starting at the end of March. Its migration pattern was driven by its need to find insects to eat. As insects emerged in northern locations, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were there to snatch them up and feed to their growing chicks.
Throughout the winter, Song Sparrows stayed in the deep south, keeping warm in places like Florida. But by the middle of March, these birds were on the move, migrating north and vocalizing along the way. Their singing and calling peaked in April when over 20,000 identifications were made per day (and several locations are Song Sparrow hotspots), before heading back south starting in July.