Does urban planning affect the journey of migratory birds?
Does urban planning affect the journey of migratory birds?
Migratory birds cross thousands of kilometers during their seasonal flights, crossing mountains, seas and cities in a natural scene that reflects biodiversity and continuous movement in nature, and carries profound connotations of environmental balance and interdependence between natural systems. Behind this captivating scene lie challenges that threaten the future of these delicate creatures, challenges not only related to climate or drought, but to the cities that we build, their windows, and the lights that never go out. At night.
In light of these challenges, World Migratory Bird Day is an opportunity to highlight these issues and urge cities to adopt safer urban designs for living organisms. In this article,Earth Guardswill review the environmental and humanitarian dimensions of this World Day; So keep reading.
World Migratory Bird Day
Every year, World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated twice, in May and October. To coincide with the peak periods of bird migration between the two hemispheres, this occasion is not just an aesthetic celebration of birds that travel thousands of kilometers, but rather a global awareness campaign aimed at protecting these birds and their habitats, and enhancing human understanding of his role in the continuation of their lives.
In 2025, the slogan “Creating bird-friendly cities and communities” was chosen; To celebrate this international day, in an attempt to highlight the increasing challenges these creatures face, especially in urban environments, this slogan represents an implicit call to rethink the human relationship with the environment and the ability of modern cities to embrace creatures that were once an integral part of their natural fabric.
World Migratory Bird Day is not a spur of the moment, but rather the product of cumulative environmental awareness that began in the early millennium. This day was officially launched for the first time in 2006, at the initiative of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Africa-Eurasia Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), both under the umbrella of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The aim of launching this day was to unify global efforts to protect birds. Migrant.
Over the years, the activities of this day have evolved to include awareness campaigns, educational workshops, and environmental programs in schools and universities. In 2018, the day was reorganized to be celebrated twice a year – on the second Saturday of May and the second Saturday of October – with the aim of covering the migration seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres.
An urban danger threatening the survival of migratory birds
Despite the growing environmental awareness and the multiplicity of global initiatives to protect migratory birds, these creatures still face escalating threats resulting from rapid urban expansion. Urban growth has led to the erosion of natural habitats and their replacement with industrial environments that lack environmental safety conditions.
A recent scientific report published in the journalPLOS ONE indicates that there is a new study with shocking results regarding the impact of buildings on bird life in the United States. This report indicated that approximately 60% of birds that are exposed to collisions with building windows lose their lives, which raises the annual estimates of the number of dead birds that die due to these collisions to more than one billion. Bird.
The researchers reached these results after analyzing data related to birds that underwent rehabilitation care after being exposed to building collisions. The study showed that the previously prevailing belief that most of these birds recover was not accurate. The data showed that the mortality rate was about 60%; This suggests that the actual impact of the urban environment on birds is greater than previously thought. These results come, according to the British newspaper The GuardianThe Guardian; To highlight the increasing threats posed by urban transformation to biodiversity, specifically to migratory birds and their environmental behaviours.
This situation not only poses an environmental threat, but also represents a direct obstacle to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal (11) “Sustainable Cities and Communities,” and Goal (15) related to “Life on Land”; Protecting migratory birds requires that cities be designed in a conscious manner, taking into account that they are part of a broader environmental system.
Yet there is still hope; Some global cities have begun to adopt a bird-friendly approach to their urban planning, as is the case in Toronto, Canada, which has enacted some laws requiring new buildings to use non-reflective glass, or Chicago, which organizes campaigns to turn off lights during migration seasons. These practices have proven effective in reducing bird mortality rates by up to 80%, which reinforces the idea that change is possible if there is will and smart environmental planning.
In light of the above,Earth Guardsemphasizes that protecting migratory birds requires a joint effort from all parties, including governments, civil society, and the private sector; Change does not come only through individual initiatives, but rather through a collective commitment that enhances the integration between environmental preservation and urban planning. By adopting more conscious and sustainable practices, we can achieve a real balance between urban development and biodiversity protection.
