Bird Day 2024: During the weekend of October 5 and 6, SEO/BirdLife celebrates the Bird Day 2024 at more than 100 points throughout Spain with more than 200 “bird activities”. The NGO rates seven of Spain’s 632 bird species; and claims that there is no threat to them, taking into account that birds are one of the best indicators of the quality of biodiversity.
Coinciding with yours 70th birthdaycalls on the NGO not to let down “the guardian” in the protection of endangered species. It highlights seven of the 632 species of birds in Spain. Likewise, the report claims that there are no threats to them, taking into account that birds are one of the best indicators of quality of life, as recognized by the European Union, and are among the most important indices to measure sustainability and social to measure well-being, according to Eurostat.
The situation is worrying. According to the Red Book of the Birds of SpainAccording to the criteria of the IUCN.
We need a world with birds. Without them our lives are up in the air. This is not a naturalistic quirk; It is about ensuring a livable, healthy and resilient world.Biodiversity is an indicator of ecosystem health, and birds act as the canary in the mine. This weekend we encourage everyone to look to the sky and discover the exciting world of birds.
The Iberian Imperial Eagle, the Capercaillie, the Balearic Shearwater, the Montagu’s Harrier, the Black Vulture, the Swift and the White-headed Duck are the species selected to star in this edition of Bird Day 2024.
They are representative of different ecosystems and are related to work that the NGO has been carrying out for 70 years, management of the territory, dissemination through live cameras, sustainable agriculture or activities with the organization’s local groups; and they were all central to the campaign’ Bird of the Year‘ which the NGO launches every year to draw attention to their serious conservation status or to be representative of highly threatened ecosystems.
The Iberian Imperial Eagle is the most exclusive bird of prey.
After decades of persecution, as happened to other birds of prey, the population reached a low point in the 1970s with an initial count of 38 pairs in 1974. Since then the population has begun to recover, with serious problems due to the presence of poison. in the bird fields and the proliferation of poorly planned power lines.
The Taking Flight project, which the NGO developed for more than ten years at the beginning of this century, made it possible to create social sensitivity in the municipalities with the presence of the species and the owners who recognized the importance of its conservation. The initiative of platforms for the fight against poison and electrocutions and various projects led by the NGO have undoubtedly contributed to the fact that there are currently more than 820 couples in Spain and 20 in Portugal, from where they disappeared.
The capercaillie, the largest of the European chicken birds
It has populations in the forests of northern Spain that settled in the mountains at the end of the last ice ages. It is a species that was preferably hunted during the rut, which was particularly destructive. Despite the apparent decline, it was not until 1979 that hunting of this species was no longer legal, although poaching continued. Despite the conservation efforts in which the NGO has participated, the populations have not been able to recover.
Climate change and the proliferation of infrastructure (power lines, wind farms, ski resorts, forest slopes) pose an ever-present threat to this beautiful and sensitive bird. Discomfort with activities in nature, especially in winter, when their survival is more vulnerable due to lack of food, and the decline of the undergrowth due to the abundance of ungulates contribute to the problems they face.
The Balearic shearwater is the most endangered Spanish endemism
Due to the loss of resources, their main source of food is discarded fish from fishing boats. This dependence causes them to approach boats and accidentally die in the fishing gear. Since the Balearic shearwater was named Bird of the Year in 2001, the NGO has worked to conserve this and other nearby birds, particularly raising awareness in the fishing sector to use techniques that help suppress accidental catch. Invasive exotic species, such as rats and feral cats, pose a very serious additional danger to this seabird in this case.
The Montagu’s Harrier is a species closely associated with agricultural environments
They nest on the ground in herbaceous habitats. Although many pairs settle in natural grasslands, the vast majority do so in grain fields, where they feed on the rodents that abound in these crops. Given that shorter and shorter grain varieties exist and that, due to climate change, harvests are brought forward, there is a gap with the breeding season and many young people, who still cannot fly, die in the harvesters.
Thanks to the activities of local NGO groups, with the cooperation of authorities and farmers, many of these groups are being rescued. Volunteers locate the nests, interact with the farm owners and implement the necessary safety measures at the right time to ensure the conservation of this great ally of farmers.
The black vulture is the largest flying bird in the world.
This bird of prey, which is distributed throughout the Mediterranean and Central Asia, has suffered greatly from direct persecution and poison. Thanks to the work of the authorities and associations such as the NGO, these and other ghosts have halted their negative trend. They are great allies for livestock farmers as they remove carrion from the field quickly and effectively, preventing the spread of very serious diseases and the spread of opportunistic species. Its reproduction in the Lozoya Valley district can be followed by the public on the live camera installed by the NGO together with the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park.
The swift is a species associated with the urban environment
It has a shrill chirping sound that accompanies many people in towns and cities during the warmer months. Once they leave the nest, the young will not land until they reproduce for the first time as adults. These beautiful kites feed exclusively on insects and at the end of summer move to equatorial areas where, always without landing, they will continue to fly thousands of kilometers until returning the following spring.
Modern buildings in many cases lack the holes in which swifts need to nest, which can easily be solved with adequate planning that makes architectural reforms compatible with the urban fauna.
White-headed duck
The white-headed duck was a symbol of conservation at the end of the last century, when only 22 specimens were counted in 1977. Strict protection of its habitat allowed the population to begin to recover, but in 1991 specimens of cinnamon malvasia, a nearby but exotic and introduced species that readily hybridized with the native species, began to be observed.
These specimens came from the United Kingdom where, in an unprecedented example of cooperation between countries and organizations, the population of the invasive species was controlled and the white-headed duck has been able to recolonize North Africa from the south of the United States today. States. Peninsula.
The NGO claims there is no threat to birds
Taking into account that they are one of the best indicators of quality of life. The main threats facing birds in Spain are serious changes in their habitat, often accompanied by an intensification of exploitation or a radical change in land use.
The industrialization of agriculture has been a driving force behind these changes, but more recently it has been the invasion of energy production facilities and associated power lines that is destroying ecosystems on a large scale, posing the greatest threat to many species. of birds.
Despite great efforts by governments and civil society, large birds of prey continue to suffer illegal mortality due to illegal shooting and poisoning. Toxins such as lead poison our fields as a result of the use of this metal ammunition, which, when ingested by birds and other animals, accumulates throughout the food chain. Finally, although towns and cities are becoming greener, there are also many threats, in the form of glass that birds collide with or the loss of breeding grounds.
Featured activities of the 2024 Bird Day Celebration
The NGO invites society to participate in the more than 200 activities that will take place throughout Spain to learn more about birds. More than on October 5 and 6200 activities related to birds at more than 100 points throughout the territory where the media who wish so can go after confirmation.