“Sing, Fly, Soar – Like a Bird!” is the theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day © Sara Wolman
Key Message in 2021
“Migratory birds connect us with their unique songs and flights, and remind us of the importance of working together, across borders, to protect them.”
Please visit the WMBD website for further materials and to learn more about the 2021 Theme: “Sing, Fly, Soar – Like a Bird!”.
Activities around the world
Below are some of the planned World Migratory Bird Day 2021 activities we are already aware of and we will be adding new activities to the website on a continual basis. We would also be delighted to hear about your plans and would like to encourage all event organizers to register their event on the WMBD website so that it appears on the global event map.
Events marking World Migratory Bird Day 2021 will generally be ‘migrating’ online, as many countries are still heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many virtual talks and a wave of online interactions dedicated to migratory birds are expected to take place in many countries, with educational programmes being offered virtually by many organizations including schools, museums, parks, zoos, libraries, wildlife refuges and wetland centers.
How can you get involved?
Year after year, hundreds of events take place to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day in many countries across the world. Every event is unique in its own way, and as diverse and creative as the people and organizations involved. Below are a few things you can do to get involved:
Help Spread the Word!
Raise Your Voice for Bird Conservation
The theme this year is unique in that it directly appeals to people of all ages to express themselves, to use their own human voice and creativity to show their appreciation and support for birds and international bird conservation. We encourage all participants to use World Migratory Bird Day as an opportunity to express their support for bird conservation and to highlight what they are doing in support of migrator birds.
Be Creative!
Linking human song with the song of birds opens a huge spectrum of creative possibilities which can be universally applied across borders in many countries around the world. Ideas range from tapping into existing popular songs dedicated to birds from all corners of the world, to activating people in different countries to “speak up” and to actually sing for birds, i.e. to “sing like a bird - for migratory birds” in their own language.
SING and FLY #LikeABird!
In order for this to become a truly global “wave of human creativity and expression” for birds and nature, people should record and share their bird inspired songs (or other forms of creative expression!) on social media using the following hashtags #SingFlySoar #LikeABird.
Another possible activation path for the “#LikeABird campaign”, could be to invite nature photographers and film makers to share their best “birds in flight” videos and photos via social media using the hashtags #SingFlySoar #LikeABird.
Similar to the “act of singing” one could also go a step further and link bird flight with actual human flight, looking at everything from sky diving, hang gliding, paragliding and other activities which are associated with a form of aerial adventure. Participants are encouraged to share their “in flight” photos and videos via social media using the hashtags #SingFlySoar #LikeABird.
Register an Event
United by a common theme and campaign, WMBD events take place in all corners of the world and involve and inspire thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds. While events are usually organized on one of the two peak days of World Migratory Bird Day (i.e. on the Second Saturday in May and in October) events can actually be linked to World Migratory Bird Day throughout the year.
There are really no limits on creativity! Past activities and awareness-raising events have included bird-watching tours, online educational workshops and exhibitions, webinars, festivals, and painting competitions, which have been organized at schools, parks, town halls, education centres and nature reserves.
Visit the website to be inspired by past events and once you know what you want to do – please make sure to register your activity on the WMBD website.
Visit the Website
Further information on the campaign, the 2021 theme and its history can be found on the campaign website: www.worldmigratorybirdday.org
In the coming weeks we will continuously be updating the website with new materials and stories which you can share and use to promote your own activities linked to World Migratory Bird Day. Please also write to us if you have some suggestions or ideas for stories or things to add to the website: contact@worldmigratorybirdday.org
SOCIAL MEDIA
Pack: https://bit.ly/3cFWF5H
@WMBD
#WorldMigratoryBirdDay
#WMBD2021
#SingFlySoar #LikeABird #ForNature
About World Migratory Bird Day
World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on two peak days each year (the second Saturdays of May and October) to highlight the need for international collaboration to ensure the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats globally. Registered events to mark World Migratory Bird Day 2021 will include bird festivals, education programmes, media events, quizzes, competitions and film screenings. First held in 2006 to promote the conservation of migratory birds and to counteract the negative publicity they were receiving across the world, due to concerns about their role as potential vectors of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus subtype H5N1 – now commonly referred to as bird flu. Since then World Migratory Bird Day has gained in popularity with over 2,000 events organized in over 100 countries since the campaign’s inception.
The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) — two intergovernmental wildlife treaties of the United Nations — organize the campaign in partnership with the Colorado-based non-profit organization, Environment for the Americas (EFTA).
About the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals aims to conserve terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is an intergovern-mental treaty concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale. Since the Convention's entry into force in 1979, its membership has grown steadily to include 132 Parties from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
www.cms.int @bonnconvention
About the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA)
The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) is an intergovernmental treaty dedicated to the conservation of migratory waterbirds that migrate along the African-Eurasian Flyway. The Agreement covers 255 species of bird ecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part of their annual cycle. The treaty covers 119 Range States from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia and Canada. 81 countries and the European Union have become a Contracting Party to the agreement.
www.unep-aewa.org @UNEP_AEWA
Environment for the Americas (EFTA)
EFTA is a Colorado-based non-profit organization that provides bilingual educational materials and information about birds and bird conservation to raise awareness of migratory birds and to promote actions that protect migratory birds throughout the Americas.
https://www.environmentamericas.org/
For more information please contact:
Florian Keil, Information Officer, UNEP/AEWA Secretariat, Bonn, Germany. Email: contact@worldmigratorybirdday.org | Tel: +49 228 8152451
Susan Bonfield, Executive Director, Environment for the Americas, Boulder, CO, USA. Email: sbonfield@environmentamericas.org | Tel: +001 970-393-1183
Last updated on 15 April 2021