What's new in Flyway

We build Flyway in the open. This is the running log of what's changed — new features, tools and fixes — written for birders, not engineers.

Every meaningful update to Flyway, in plain language. Older, smaller fixes aren't all listed — this focuses on what actually changes your experience.

July 2026

LatestThe Flyway System — the Compass, the Method, and a new home

Flyway is now built around two skills. The Compass teaches you to read a place before you see a bird — where to look, when species are active, why they behave as they do, and what to expect. The Method is the five-step routine for when a bird appears: prime, shape, move, mark, commit.
New Method, Compass and Progress pages, and a redesigned home page that shows the training in action rather than just describing it.
Every destination guide (Costa Rica, Cape May, and 18 more) has been refreshed to the current design, with working links that drop you straight into practice for that place.
Sign-in is smoother: confirming your email or opening a sign-in link now takes you back to your profile where you started — not the quiz — and a new “Email me a recovery link” option gets you back in if a link ever fails.

July 2026

UpdateProfiles, tougher practice, and clearer answers

Pick a favorite bird as your profile picture — it now appears next to your name on every leaderboard (hover to see the species). No pick? You get your own color instead of everyone looking the same.
New “My misses” practice mode in the quiz options: drill only the birds you get wrong most, weighted by how often you miss each.
Every answer now shows the correct bird's field marks — even when you're right — so a lucky guess still teaches you something.
Your regional stats are now easy-to-scan cards that show when you last played each area.
A new Help hub with step-by-step guides for every tool, and a fuller FAQ.
Polish & fixes: the leaderboard's second tab is now clearly labeled Regional, the Home button behaves properly during and after a quiz, and several small display glitches are gone.

Summer 2026

ToolsA proper toolkit for finding birds

A new Tools tab with six tools: Find a Bird (nearest hotspots for a target species, ranked by your odds), Birds Near Me, Rarities Near Me, Top Hotspots, Explore a Region, and a Roadtrip Planner that finds stops along your drive.
Bird names in 18 languages, plus the option to show scientific names.
Real bird sounds from xeno-canto, with the recordist credited.

Spring 2026

FoundationsLearn by ear, and compete

By Ear quiz mode — identify a mystery recording by sound, with its own separate leaderboard.
Regional and hotspot leaderboards, plus levels, XP and badges to track your progress.
Free, optional accounts with one-tap email sign-in to save your progress across devices.