

	Chicago is located on the Mississippi Flyway, which is part of a larger migration route that extends from the Mackenzie Valley in northwest Canada, along the Great Lakes, and down the Mississippi River Valley. Each year, more than 250 species of birds use this flyway, and Lake Michigan's shoreline is acknowledged as one of America's most important migration routes for songbirds. More than 5 million songbirds pass through Chicago each year during the migration season. Illinois farmland consists of corn and soybean fields, which do not provide the type and variety of food and shelter required by migrating birds. In comparison, Lake Michigan's shoreline provides a variety of plant life and habitat for resting and refueling. Chicago's parks and even our backyards are particularly important, because of the surrounding development that has destroyed much of the native habitat. The preservation of parkland along the lakeshore is key to the survival of millions of birds that migrate through Chicago every spring and fall.