Bird Migration
Bird migration and Wetlands
Bird migration is a natural phenomenon where birds fly intercontinental for thousands of km up to highway speeds, looking for food, shelter and nesting grounds.
The different flyways are highways in the skies used by certain species to move from one continent to another. There are multiple flyways on our planet.
As on highways, there is the need for the birds to stop temporarily or for the entire season, and wetlands are one of the main habitats used by migratory birds. These "service stations" have been used for thousands of years by many generations of birds.
Wetlands are habitats either covered or saturated with water and are highly biodiverse, they can be close to the sea or inland and can be found anywhere on the planet in many shapes and with different characteristics. They are important not only for wildlife but also for humans, as they provide food, and tourism, they are one of the best solutions to avoid floods and to help tackle climate change, as they are the best habitat to store carbon.
Migratory birds are an important health indicator as they help us understand how the environment changes over time, and why. They also have the role of pest control, plant pollinators and they can become food for other wildlife.
Wetlands provide food and shelter to all sorts of migratory birds, of which there are three main groups, our wetland heroes:
1
Raptors
The "sentinel species", on top of the food chain here, make sure to keep the biodiversity balance in place.
Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni), Aiguamolls de l"Empordà, Spain.
2
Waterbirds
Each species have specific habitat requirements and fascinating behaviors.
Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus), Camargue, France.
3
Landbirds
Which songs tell us how birds communicate, what cultures we find and how they differ from other wetlands.
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus pchruros), Urdaibai, Spain.