Migratory Birds in Europe and Central Asia

Migratory birds are some of the most inspiring and impressive groups of birds. This is not only because of the spectacular views they offer as they move across the sky but also because of the incredible distances they cover during their voyages.

Migratory birds mark the seasons leaving their breeding areas before food gets scarce and landing on another continent to build a new life. When we enjoy the presence and behaviour of these migratory birds we hope and even assume that they will return each year. Unfortunately many migratory species, especially the long-distance migrants do not return.

The BirdLife Partnership works to identify, tackle or mitigate the main causes of the decline of migratory birds mainly through international projects and policy work:

Here are some examples of our work:

Projects

Saltpan Recovery Project

BirdLife Partners join forces to save the precious saltpans of Southern Europe and Northern Africa, and the striking birds that rely on them.

Working together to protect migratory birds in...

Every migration is a massacre: illegal trapping and hunting, collision with energy sector infrastructure and loss of key stop-over feeding and resting sites.

Spring Alive

Spring Alive is an international campaign to encourage children’s interest in nature and the conservation of migratory birds. By posting their first sightings of Barn Swallow, White Stork, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, and European Bee-eater on the www.springalive.net website, children from Europe, Central Asia and Africa create a real-time map of the incredible journeys these birds take every year.

The arid zones of the Sahel Photo: Danae Sheehan

Living on the Edge: improving migratory bird...

Around the world, many migratory bird species are sharply declining in numbers, and these declines are indicative of the threats facing the wider environment.

Northern Bald Ibis rarest bird in Middle East

Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita is classified as Critically Endangered, the highest threat category according to IUCN criteria, with the only remaining wild colonies known in Morocco (100 pairs) and Syria (two pairs).

Wings over Wetlands (WOW)

Bird migration is one of the great wonders of the natural world. Yet each year, fewer birds of many species return to their breeding grounds, because the sites they depend on to rest and refuel while on their long journey from their wintering grounds have been damaged or developed.

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News

Bar-headed Goose © Wang LiQiang / Shutterstock

Migration Marathons: 7 unbelievable bird journeys

Wed, 27/06/2018 - 16:00

Around one in five of all the world’s bird species migrate. And while every migration is an epic and often perilous feat of endurance, here’s a selection of species that we feel go the extra mile.

Worldwide

The Barn Swallow crosses the Sahara Desert on its migration © Derek Keats

Don’t get in a flap, get into FLAP: a new platform for migratory landbirds

Fri, 04/05/2018 - 10:11

The Friends of Landbirds Action Plan (FLAP for short), created by BirdLife and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), encourages people from all walks of life to share information, educate and spread the word to protect our landbirds on their migration over vast continents. And you’re invited.

Worldwide

100 organisations from 70 countries gathered under one roof to tackle threats to migratory birds © Pawel Horazy

A Summit for the Flyways: our declaration

Fri, 27/04/2018 - 14:54

Today marked the end of a four-day global summit, which brought together key players in bird conservation from across the world to discuss one issue: how to protect migratory birds at every point along their epic journey. Here’s what we decided.

Worldwide United Arab Emirates

'Spring Alive' casts its spell with real magic

Fri, 30/03/2018 - 09:26

Spring has officially sprung and so has Spring Alive – BirdLife International’s annual campaign to introduce children across Europe, Central Asia and Africa to the joys of spring and the wonder that is nature.

Europe and Central Asia

The White Stork is among 2.6 million birds illegally killed over Lebanon each year © Carlos Delgado

Open letter: give our birds safe passage over Lebanon this spring

Tue, 27/02/2018 - 11:31

With the spring migration just a few weeks away, conservation groups the world over have come together in support of an open letter to the President of Lebanon. Croatian conservationists call for the President to honour his promise for stricter enforcement of hunting laws.

Worldwide Croatia Lebanon

"Spoonie" Spoon-billed Sandpiper, a Critically Endangered migratory bird species © Pavel Tomkovich

How Small Actions Can Make A Big Difference

Fri, 15/12/2017 - 13:04

2018 will be “Year of the Bird”, thanks to an exciting new campaign with National Geographic, National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We’re calling on you to “bird your world”, starting with discovering why your backyard is a jigsaw piece for an entire continent…

Worldwide Canada Mexico United States of America

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EU logo Stichting BirdLife Europe gratefully acknowledges financial support from the European Commission. All content and opinions expressed on the ECA section of this website are solely those of Stichting BirdLife Europe.

Migratory Birds in Europe and Central Asia

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