Bird migration is one of the most fascinating and inspiring natural phenomena—but how do scientists figure out where all those birds are going? From the earliest origins of bird banding to high-tech approaches involving genomic analysis and miniaturized transmitters, the history of bird migration research is almost as captivating as the journeys of the birds themselves. My book Flight Paths, forthcoming in 2023, will take a deep dive into the science behind these techniques and the stories of the people who developed them, but in the meantime, below you can read a selection of milestones that trace our unfolding understanding of migration. Early History Indigenous cultures develop a range of legends and stories about migratory birds. Athabascan peoples in Alaska, for example, tell the story of “Raven and Goose-wife,” in which Raven falls in love with a beautiful goose but cannot stay with her because he can’t keep up when the family of geese migrates south over the...