<p>Urban ecology has grown into a dynamic field, illuminating the diverse ways social and ecological systems interact in cities. Yet, much of this research has historically been dominated by single-city studies. As a result, despite the global scale of urbanization, urban ecological theory and practice are often confined to local or regional contexts, limiting insights into cities’ roles in macroecological processes. Research across broader scales is rapidly advancing and is crucial to understanding intercity variability. Here, using radar-derived estimates of migratory bird stopover, we assessed urban landscapes’ contributions to stopover across the continental USA and links to social demographics for 2,130 parks across 88 urban areas. We show that stopover hotspots disproportionately occur on urban landscapes relative to their land area, with nearly half of migration hotspots falling within Metropolitan Statistical Areas (spring 48%, fall 44%). Furthermore, the relationship between urbanization and stopover varies regionally, correlating negatively in eastern flyways and positively in western ones. Finally, stopover is positively correlated with household income but varies widely, with many urban areas showing weak or opposite relationships. Together, we highlight the importance of cities in a hemispheric-scale ecological process. More broadly, we demonstrate the potential of radar remote sensing to advance urban ecology by linking biodiversity patterns with urbanization and social landscapes across large spatial scales.</p>