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Habitat loss and fragmentation affect forest birds through direct loss of breeding habitats, detrimental edge effects such as increased nest predation and brood parasitism, and possibly by limiting movements among remaining forest patches. Despite indirect evidence suggesting that landscape‐scale bird movements are constrained by open areas, skepticism remains because birds routinely cross inhospitable terrain during migration. Here, we report evidence from 201 independent homing trials showing that landscape composition and configuration influence the movements (1–4 km) of two neotropical migrant (Black‐throated Blue Warbler, Dendroica caerulescens and the Ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapillus) and one resident (Black‐capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapillus) forest bird species in Quebec, Canada. Trials consisted of translocating territorial, mated males and measuring the time they needed to return to …