World Migratory Bird Day is marked with the message “Every bird matters—your observation matters”
08 May, 2026 | 09:00
World Migratory Bird Day is a global campaign that has been held annually since 2006 to raise public awareness about the importance of protecting migratory birds and their habitats along migration routes. The campaign serves as a tool to raise broader awareness of the threats facing migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to protect them.
World Migratory Bird Day in 2026 will be held on May 9 and October 10, with both dates marking the fact that migration occurs at different times in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and is part of a recurring annual cycle. This year, the campaign highlights how individuals, communities, and organizations around the world are helping to build the knowledge base for better conservation of migratory birds across borders.
The theme for World Migratory Bird Day 2026 is “Every Bird Matters – Your Observation Matters,” highlighting the role of public participation in collecting data on migratory bird populations, their habitats, and the factors affecting their populations. Millions of people around the world, through their observations, contribute vital information about migratory birds, whether these are backyard observations or coordinated global surveys. These recorded observations provide information on species distribution, population trends, migration timing, and breeding success. The campaign will highlight how every observation contributes important data and supports species conservation at the local, national, and international levels.
This year’s theme is particularly significant as it recognizes the numerous projects by amateur organizations along all major migration routes worldwide. It highlights existing monitoring initiatives and platforms that record bird observations in ways that support both science and conservation policy.
The year 2026 marks the 20th World Migratory Bird Day, and the 60th International Waterbird Census took place in January 2026. This provides yet another opportunity to celebrate this global event in the field of nature conservation and to promote civic and scientific observation initiatives along all migration routes worldwide.
In Bulgaria this year, the mid-winter census of wintering waterbirds took place from 15 to 18 January. The initiative is part of the National System for Monitoring the Status of Biodiversity and is organized by the Executive Environment Agency in partnership with the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds. On a national scale, the census also includes other experts from the non-governmental sector—the Green Balkans NGO and the "Wild World of Struma" Nature Conservation Community in Blagoevgrad, the "Balkans" Nature Conservation Society, the “Le Balkan-Bulgaria” Foundation, as well as experts from the Regional Inspectorates of Environment and Water, national and nature parks, scientists from the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, members of the Union of Hunters and Fishermen, teachers, students, and volunteers. The results of the census are submitted to the Executive Environment Agency, where the collected information is analyzed and summarized to assess the status of populations and to support the planning and implementation of future measures for the conservation of biodiversity in the country.
More information about World Migratory Bird Day can be found on the campaign’s official website:
https://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/
More information about the 60th anniversary of the international waterbird census can be found here: