The Theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2023

The theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life”.  Water is fundamental to life on our planet. The vast majority of migratory birds rely on aquatic ecosystems during their life cycles. Inland and coastal wetlands, rivers, lakes, streams, marshes, and ponds are all vital for feeding, drinking, or nesting, and also as places to rest and refuel during their long journeys. On the other hand, aquatic ecosystems are becoming increasingly threatened around the world due to increasing human demand for water, integrating with problems of pollution and climate change. This imposes direct impacts on the availability of clean water and migratory birds that depend on them. This year’s World Migratory Bird Day campaign will highlight the importance of water for migratory birds and identify key actions for protecting water resources and aquatic ecosystems.

• Check the Campaign Strategy for promoting World Migratory Bird Day, click [here].
• WMBD 2023 Press release, visit [here].

Learn about the EAA Flyway species featured on the 2023 WMBD poster

	Spoon-billed Sandpiper Scientific name: Calidris pygmaea Conservation status: IUCN - Critically Endangered, CMS - Appendix I Spoon-billed Sandpiper is the rarest shorebird and endemic to the East Asian - Australasian Flyway (EAAF). Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. It is a small shorebird with a peculiar spoon-shaped beak, thus nicknamed as “Spoony”. It breeds in the Arctic region in Russia Far East and winter at coasts in Southeast Asia. It is threatened by habitat loss and degradation, hunting and pollution at the wetlands. https://www.eaaflyway.net/spoon-billed-sandpiper/
	Dalmatian Pelican Scientific name: Pelecanus crispus Conservation status: IUCN - Near Threatened, CMS - Appendix I The Dalmatian Pelican is a large waterbird and the biggest in the Pelican species. It has a big white body and a distinctive beak with an orange or yellowish gular pouch. The bird is a short-to-medium-distance migrant. Its distribution span across Central Eurasia to southern China coast. Hunting, habitat degradation due to wetland alteration and destruction are the main threat it is facing. Photo by Dean (Yu Deng, 邓郁) [copyright pending correction] https://www.eaaflyway.net/dalmatian-pelican/
	Sarus Crane Scientific name: Grus antigone Conservation status: IUCN - Vulnerable, CMS - Appendix II Sarus Crane is a short-distance migrant with a bright red head and upper neck. They are inhabitants in wetlands and agriculture fields. There are populations rangingfrom India and Pakistan, Lower Mekong Basin including Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia Thailand, and a Australian population. They are vulnerable due to water diversions and unsustainable conversion of wetlands, habitat loss and other human disturbances. https://savingcranes.org/learn/species-field-guide/sarus-crane/

Join the WMBD Celebration

Register your event on the Global Portal

https://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/register-your-event

Resources for World Migratory Bird Day 2023

­EAAFP World Migratory Bird Day 2023 Small Grant

The Small Grant for 2023 World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) has been established to provide financial support for EAAFP Partners and collaborators from EAAFP Task Forces and Working Groups, who plan on organizing public events and/or conservation action-oriented workshops at national or local levels for World Migratory Bird Day. We strongly encourage EAAFP Partners and collaborators to make an application for any suitable event or development of WMBD materials in local languages, that aims to raise awareness of the need of conserving migratory waterbirds and the value of their habitats in the East Asian – Australasian Flyway.

For details, visit here.

Deadline of applying for the WMBD October event: 31^st August, 2023.

World Migratory Bird Day 2023 Trello Board

You can download everything from WMBD 2023 Trello Board [here].

World Migratory Bird Day 2023 Activities

		Come Fly With Me - 2023 World Migratory Bird Day Webinar with Sacha Dench Date/Time: 12 May, 2023 (Friday), 1500-1600 KST/0600-0700 GMT Meeting Platform: Zoom Language: English Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYocuChqjksGtQp0-YfuilaqDOKW06K5_GM More information, click [here].
		You are invited to join the EAAFP Team on 13 May for the Global Big Day by eBird !! Be part of our Team to record migratory waterbirds in #EAAFlyway!  Register an eBird account  Go out and watch birds, keep count of the birds you see  Submit your checklist to eBird and SHARE with "EAAFPTeam"! EAAFPTeam profile: https://ebird.org/profile/MzgyMzk1NA  Benefit: Online version of "Birds of the World" will be FREE ACCESS starting 12th to 15th May!!!