First of 2 Parts
Did you know that millions of birds may be migrating silently overhead right now as you read this–and you don’t even need to leave the house to see them?
Ahead of World Migratory Bird Day last May 9, UN News spoke to Catherine Quayle, Communications Director at the Wild Bird Fund in New York.
This year’s theme, Every Bird Counts, Your Observations Matter, highlights the urgent need to protect migratory birds and the ecosystems they depend on.
UN News: For people in cities, it can feel like wildlife is far away–how are migratory birds still part of our daily lives?
Catherine Quayle: If you live anywhere with trees and a bit of green, even in the middle of Manhattan, you can hear birds when you wake up. Their songs change over the year. You don’t even need to leave home to witness the ecological diversity outside your window.
Birds also often migrate at night. In the evening, you might see gulls or herons migrating to roost. Look up early in the morning or in the evening, and you’ll see birds without leaving home.
UN News: New York City sits on the Atlantic Flyway; basically a bird highway. How many birds pass over our heads during peak migration?
Catherine Quayle: BirdCast, a tool from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, uses weather radar to track bird migration, showing how many are flying and when.
On peak nights, a few billion birds may be in the air over the US at once. Over New York City, as many as a million can pass in a single night, but most people are unaware because it happens at night.
UN News: What are some of the challenges birds face when they migrate?
Catherine Quayle: One of the biggest challenges is habitat loss. Birds migrate to find specific food available at certain times of year. For generations, they have learned where to go, for example, Central America in winter.
But if that habitat has been taken down, built over, paved, or logged, many more birds will not survive when they arrive at their wintering or breeding grounds.
The other major threat in New York City is window collisions. This is likely much worse than 50 years ago because modern architecture is very glass-centric. Highly glazed surfaces and all-glass windows are very popular, and that is just very dangerous for birds.
UN News: Are there certain types of buildings or locations more dangerous for birds? (To be continued)
