Many migratory birds visit and use the Korean Peninsula as wintering, breeding, and stopover sites. In particular, shorebirds that pass the winter in Australia and New Zealand and then migrate to Siberia for breeding usually visit to feed in the tidal flats of the west coast of Korea in spring and autumn.

 Among the nine flyways used by migratory birds worldwide for breeding and wintering, Korea is included in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF). Small birds of the order Passeriformes visit the southwestern coastal islands of Korea while traveling between wintering areas in southern China and Southeast Asia and breeding grounds in Korea, Mongolia, China, and Russia along this flyway in spring and autumn. According to the Bird Research Center of the Korea National Park Service, more than 370 species have been confirmed to pass through this flyway periodically in spring and autumn. Islands are very important as a stopover for these small migratory birds. The National Migratory Bird Research Center conducts research on the migration of birds across islands.