World Migratory Bird Day – 11th May

World Migratory Bird Day (Bird Day) celebrates a bird’s spectacular migration between winter and summer grounds. Birds migrate twice each year, once in spring and again in fall. The day aims to raise awareness of the environmental problems that are making things difficult for these birds – leading to serious declines in many species – and to let people know what they can do to help.

The official date for World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) or International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) is the second Saturday in May for the U.S. and Canada and the second Saturday in October for Latin America and the Caribbean. Because birds don’t migrate on a single day, Bird Day activities take place year-round, and events are best offered when migratory birds are present. However, every day is Migratory Bird Day, and you can celebrate birds and host events any day of the year!

Migratory birds are some of the most beautiful, observable, and remarkable wildlife that share our world. Many migrating birds – including cranes, storks, shorebirds, and eagles – travel thousands of kilometers across flyways that span countries and continents. Nevertheless, pressures resulting from rapid urbanization, pollution, and climate change have caused the steady loss of their natural habitats.

The theme of World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds.” 

History

The International Migratory Bird Day was first held in 1993 by ornithologists from Cornwall lab in the USA. Today this date is celebrated in many countries around the world every second Saturday in May. The main idea of the celebration is to attract the attention of national governments and the public to the problems of migratory birds. The global information campaign highlights the necessity of the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats.

World Migratory Bird Day calls attention to the incredible journey of migratory birds, with awareness-raising and educational events worldwide. Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway between breeding and wintering grounds, undertaken by many species of birds.

How the day is celebrated

Migratory birds are found everywhere, from parks and cities to mountains and deserts. By way of their journeys, we too are connected to these landscapes and the vibrant ecological systems that underpin our own well-being. The current pandemic has brought a whole new level of awareness and appreciation of birds and the importance of nature for our own well-being.

This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us must stay at home. But we can reach for our binoculars to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day. On this day public events such as bird festivals, education programs, and bird-watching excursions are held all around the world to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day.

Ways you can celebrate the day

– Build a birdhouse or feeder
– Take a bird walk or nature/history tour
– Learn about birdlife and migration

Activities around the world

In 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all the events are going online and the same is with World Migratory Bird Day. Many online interactions and virtual talks will be held dedicated to migratory birds. Many organizations including schools, museums, parks, zoos, libraries, wildlife refuges, and wetland centers undergo many activities which will be held online this year. Join the campaign to increase awareness of our shared birds!

• An Online program BirdDayLive dedicated to birds is being planned for 7 May 2021 in America.

• The first time, a World Migratory Bird Day Virtual Choir is being organized by the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership and the Bowerbird Collective,

• A thousand birdwatchers will be recording their bird sighting along all the world’s major flyways by joining Global Big Day on 8 May.

10 best places to spot Migratory Birds In India

• Keoladeo National Park of Bharatpur, Rajasthan
• Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, Kerala
• Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Gujarat
• Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand
• Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary, Odisha
• Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh
• Ranganathitthu Bird Sanctuary, Karnataka
• Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary, Haryana
• Pong Dam, Himachal Pradesh
• Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Goa

Suggested Read: Important Days In May