World Migratory Bird Day

Any time of year is a great time to get out and see birds, but migration time is when flocks of colorful birds are at their peak, moving along their migratory flyways toward their breeding and wintering grounds.

That's why so many festivals, citizen science projects and other bird-focused events take place during May, when spring migration in the Western Hemisphere is in full swing.

Since 1993, International Migratory Bird Day has been celebrated during the second weekend in May in the Western Hemisphere, coordinated by  Environment for the Americas and sponsored by dozens of organizations, including the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, that are dedicated to birds and bird conservation.

In 2018, Environment for the Americas joined the  Convention on Migratory Species and the  Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds to create a single, global bird conservation education campaign.  World Migratory Bird Day celebrates and brings attention to one of the most important and spectacular events in the Americas – bird migration.

For 2020, the theme "birds connect our world" will highlight the tracking technologies that researchers use to learn about migratory routes, examine the hazards birds face during their journeys, and implement conservation actions to help migratory birds along the way.

Throughout North America,  events, programs and activities are happening at protected areas, parks, museums, schools, zoos, and more, including many  national wildlife refuges. As many as 700 events and programs are hosted annually to introduce the public to migratory birds and ways to conserve them.

There are also plenty of  educational and promotional resources - many of them free - on the World Migratory Bird Day website.