Millions of birds are migrating across the US this week

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology estimates that more than 400 million birds will be migrating across the U.S. toward their breeding grounds this week.

They estimate that around 446 million birds will be migrating Thursday night and around 369 million birds will be migrating Friday night.

If you love bird watching, the morning hours over the next few days would be a great time to get outside and look for birds, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Global Big Day, an annual celebration of birds, is set for Saturday, May 13. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology said the migration should make Saturday a busy day for birders.

How you can help the birds

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology said it is important to turn off nonessential outdoor lighting and treat reflective windows to help birds get safely to their breeding grounds.

Every spring and fall millions of birds migrate through the U.S. and most travel at night. According to BirdCast, light pollution harms birds. It can confuse and exhaust them as well as lead to them colliding with buildings.

The American Bird Conservancy has more information online about preventing bird collisions with windows. Some of the ways you can prevent collisions is to apply visible patterns to the outside of the glass. Most birds will avoid glass with vertical or horizontal stripes spaced 2 inches apart.