In the heart of many Canadian cities and towns you’d be hard pressed to not find (or hear) at least one or two species of birds. Maybe a House Sparrow in a nearby bush or an American Crow on a hydroline. Birds not only bring their beautiful song, vibrant plumage colours, and graceful flights to our neighbours, they also help to boost our mental health and serve as key indicator species of overall ecosystem health.
However, many of Canada’s bird populations have been declining since the 1970’s due to a variety of factors including habitat loss, climate change, predation by free-roaming cats, pesticides, and collisions with glass structures and vehicles. With the majority of Canadians now living in urban areas, and many migratory fly-ways intersecting with our large cities and towns, it is time to take action together to ensure our built environments are bird-friendly! This is where Nature Canada, QuebecOiseaux, and Environment for Americas’ annual World Migratory Bird Day campaign comes in! Each spring, Nature Canada invites event hosts and community members to learn more about the many ways that we can take collective action to save bird lives in our built environments. This year’s conservation theme, Shared Spaces: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities, highlights the urgent need for sustainable municipal planning and community action to mitigate the threats birds face as urbanization continues to grow. If birds and biodiversity are overlooked in our municipalities and neighbourhoods, we risk losing our feathered friends forever. But there is good news! Over 30 Canadian municipalities have already taken a stand to reduce key threats to birds in their communities. There are many simple, easy and effective steps you can also take to protect birds this World Migratory Bird Day including:
- Host or Join a Local World Migratory Bird Day event: Spread the word through social media and with your community to increase awareness of this important issue by hosting a World Migratory Bird Day event in your community related to the conservation theme.
- Create or Join a Bird Friendly City Team: Work with your neighbours and elected officials to make your municipality bird friendly based on science and best practices.
- Advocate for Bird Friendly Policies: Speak or present to your local council about adopting policies and practices that protect migratory birds such as Bird Safe Design Guidelines, Light Pollution Mitigation and habitat protection.
- Install Window Collision Deterrent Markers: Add decals or film to the outside of your window at least 2” by 2” to prevent fatal window collisions. Learn more here!
- Reduce Light Pollution: Turn off your lights at night for nocturnally migrating birds or install a shield or motion detector.
- Avoid Pesticide Use: Choose bird- and environmentally-friendly alternatives. The birds and bugs will thank you.
- Keep Cats Indoors, on a Leash or in a Catio: Protect birds while ensuring your cat’s safety and well-being.
- Plant Native: Provide food, shelter, and nesting sites for birds by growing native plants.
- Drink Bird-Friendly ® Certified Coffee: Support biodiversity by purchasing shade-grown coffee from bird-friendly certified farms.
Together, we can make a significant difference for birds and the ecosystems they support. Hosting a World Migratory Bird Day event is a powerful way to inspire your community, celebrate the beauty of the return of migratory birds, and take meaningful steps toward creating safer shared spaces for them. Whether it’s organizing a bird walk, tabling at a farmers’ market, planting a native garden, or rallying for bird-friendly policies to your elected officials of local government, your efforts can have a lasting impact.
Let’s work together to turn our towns and cities into safe havens for birds and ensure their songs continue to enrich our lives for generations to come. Stayed tuned for our 2025 World Migratory Bird Day website and sign up for updates by becoming a Migratory Bird Defender:
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