Migratory Birds and Flyways - Africa

Over 40% of long-distance migrants in the African-Eurasian flyway have shown signs of decline over the last three decades. Of these, 10% are classified by BirdLife as Globally Threatened or Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Many of these birds are continuing to disappear.

In an effort to conserve migratory birds, the BirdLife Africa Partnership is contributing to the Global Migratory Birds and Flyways Programme. Several BirdLife Partner NGOs have flyway-related activities in respective countries

View Africa Map of Flyways/Migratory Birds Initiative in a larger map

However, the following regional projects/initiatives are significant:

CMB 2 - Together for migratory birds along Atlantic coast of Africa
CMB 1 - Conservation of migratory birds in coastal West Africa
Living on the edge
Migratory Soaring Birds Conservation project
Development of an action plan for the Africa-Eurasian Migratory Landbirds Agreement
Coordination of AEWA International Working Groups for implementation of Single Species Action Plans for Madagascar Pond-heron, Lesser Flamingo and White-winged Flufftail.

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birdlife-africa@birdlife.org

The video below "Living on the Edge: improving bird habitats in the Sahel" is available in English and French.

Projects

Together for migratory birds along Atlantic coast...

The CMB2 project builds on the results of CMB1 and has an objective of developing a regional capacity for the monitoring and conservation of shorebirds and other threatened migratory waterbirds along the Atlantic coast of Africa, with a focus on Mauritania, Senegal and Guinea Bissau.

Saltpan Recovery Project

BirdLife Partners join forces to save the precious saltpans of Southern Europe and Northern Africa, and the striking birds that rely on them.

Safe Flyways Programme

Every migration is a massacre: illegal trapping and hunting, collision with energy sector infrastructure and loss of key stop-over feeding and resting sites.

Spring Alive

Spring Alive is an international campaign to encourage children’s interest in nature and the conservation of migratory birds. By posting their first sightings of Barn Swallow, White Stork, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, and European Bee-eater on the www.springalive.net website, children from Europe, Central Asia and Africa create a real-time map of the incredible journeys these birds take every year.

Conservation of Migratory Birds (CMB)

This is a NGO-government partnership, with BirdLife working through national partner organisations identified in seven countries. These organisations will benefit from strategic and technical capacity development to facilitate conservation action across the region.

African-Eurasian Migratory Landbirds Action Plan...

A co-ordinated flyway-scale approach to the conservation and protection of African-Eurasian migratory landbirds through facilitating the development, and adoption of the Action Plan at the 11th meeting of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Conference of the Parties (COP11), and its implementation across the flyway region. This was called for by CMS Resolution 10.27 on Improving the Conservation Status of Migratory Landbirds in the African-Eurasian Region.

The arid zones of the Sahel Photo: Danae Sheehan

Living on the Edge: improving migratory bird...

Around the world, many migratory bird species are sharply declining in numbers, and these declines are indicative of the threats facing the wider environment.

greater spotted eagle nature irak a.f._omar

Migratory Soaring Birds

The conservation of migratory soaring birds in the eastern sector of the Africa-Eurasia flyway system (Rift Valley and Red Sea Flyways), – Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

Migratory Soaring Birds

The Red Sea/Rift valley hosts the migration of over 2 million birds through the region, with Soaring Birds in huge flocks numbering tens of thousands migrating from wintering grounds in Africa to breeding grounds in Europe and Central Asia and vice versa along the second biggest Flyway in the world.

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News

Lesser flamingo (phoeniconaias minor) © Josh More

Death by collision: Counting the cost of power lines on birds in Kenya

Mon, 25/01/2021 - 16:33

Powerlines are a huge danger to birds when not located in proper places, killing hundreds of millions every year from collision and electrocution. In Kenya, the routing of a new power line just at the edge of an Important Bird & Biodiversity Area, home to thousands of waterbirds, will be a death trap for birds

Africa Kenya

Illegal trade is decimating the population of Grey parrots in Ghana © Hans Braxmeier

Tackling illegal killing, taking and trade of birds in Sub-Saharan Africa

Thu, 21/01/2021 - 00:51

As part of our effort to curb the devastating damage wreaked by the bird trade, BirdLife has embarked on a study to compile all existing information about bird killing, trapping and trade in Sub-Saharan Africa. We're inviting you to get in touch with any information that can help us fill in the gaps.

Africa

Crucial Steps towards Bird-safe Energy Infrastructure in Ethiopia

Fri, 18/12/2020 - 16:10

Under the National Electrification Program, Ethiopia will build thousands of new power lines in the next five years, which could have a terrible impact on birds. We are fighting hard to ensure the use of bird-safe poles design... and we can already celebrate several successes!

Africa

The Common Ringed Plover weights only 64 grams, but migrates thousands of kilometres © Zeynel Cebeci

Introducing our new Spring Alive species: the Common Ringed Plover

Mon, 07/09/2020 - 12:39

As birds migrate from Europe to their wintering grounds in Africa, we explore the fascinating behaviour of the Common Ringed Plover, a small but feisty wader familiar across Africa’s wetlands.

Worldwide

Ghoubel wind project in Djibouti, near Lake Assal © Jean Marie Takoule

Why we need to balance Ghana's energy needs with conservation

Mon, 20/07/2020 - 12:17

In Ghana, renewable energy is a rapidly-growing industry. As demand increases, the country urgently needs to ensure these developments have a minimal impact on the country's birds and biodiversity. Here's what needs to be done get the balance right.

Africa Ghana

Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day across Africa

Fri, 15/11/2019 - 12:54

The World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), celebrated every year in May and October seeks to raise awareness on migratory birds and the need to conserve them. These birds travel over thousands of kilometres, in search of suitable conditions for feeding and breeding.

Africa Botswana Ethiopia Kenya Mauritania Tunisia Zambia

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Migratory Birds and Flyways - Africa

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