Introduction
World Migratory Bird Day, an annual global campaign that celebrates bird migration across countries and continents, will focus on the impact of light pollution in 2022. We’ll be spreading the message to “lower the lights for birds at night” throughout the year and highlighting the initiatives that people, communities, and governments can take to decrease the impact of light pollution on our common wildlife.
World Migratory Bird Day is a year-long event that is traditionally observed on the second Saturdays of May and October. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center established International Migratory Bird Day in 1993 to draw public attention to the need for cross-national cooperation to conserve birds and habitats. Environment for the Americas has managed the campaign in the Americas since 2007. In 2017, we merged International Migratory Bird Day with World Migratory Bird Day, working with the Convention on Migratory Species and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement. Hundreds of organisations have joined the combined campaign, making it global.
Since it started in 2006, World Migratory Bird Day has been celebrated twice a year. The dates for International Migratory Bird Day in 2022 are May 14 and October 8.
These birds fly twice a year to spend the winter. When spring comes, they come back to breed. People say about 40% of all bird species migrate. That is, about 4,000 different bird species do so.
History – World Migratory Bird Day
International Migratory Bird Day was started in 2006 when the United Nations decided that people worldwide need to know about how birds migrate.
Since then, 118 countries have taken part in the event and run it. The idea for World Migratory Bird Day came from the UN Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds.
The UN’s agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds led to the creation of International Migratory Bird Day. At first, it was meant to get people thinking about how to protect these birds.
World Migratory Bird Day is held every year on the second Saturday of October in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. In the United States and Canada, the day is celebrated on the second Saturday in May.
Why is World Migratory Bird Day celebrated?
The goal of the day is to protect the breeding, non-breeding, and stopover habitats of migratory birds and keep the bird population healthy.
This is important because birds are important to the environment. They are needed to keep the balance of nature. Birds are nature’s messengers, so we need to restore ecological connection and integrity if we want more migratory birds.
What is this year’s theme?
Migratory Bird Day in 2022. Many birds have been hurt by artificial lighting worldwide, which has been at least 2% per year. Light pollution makes them lose their sense of direction when they fly at night, making them more likely to crash and slow down their journey.
Why the theme? How does light pollution matter to birds?
The majority of birds migrate at night. Ducks and geese, plovers and sandpipers, and songbirds of various kinds are among the nocturnally migrating birds.
The night sky on the other hand, is endangered. Artificial light is increasing by 2% each year worldwide, posing a threat to birds. Migrating birds are attracted and disoriented by artificial light pollution, making them more likely to arrive in regions where they are more exposed to crashes. Artificial light negatively affects birds throughout the breeding and winter seasons, interrupting eating behaviours.
Light pollution solutions are readily available. For example, an increasing number of towns worldwide are taking steps to lower building lights during spring and autumn migration periods. The Convention on Migratory Species is also developing best practice guidelines to address this growing issue and ensure that global action is taken to help birds move safely.
For more information, you can read this excellent guide:
https://www.cms.int/sites/default/files/publication/wmbd_2022_campaign_strategy_light_pollution.pdf
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