“Protect Insects, Protect Birds,”
Zimbabwe celebrates the World Migratory Bird Day annually, a day dedicated to the incredible journeys of migratory birds and the vital roles they play in our ecosystems, shining a spotlight on the intricate and vital relationship between insects and migratory birds that often goes unnoticed. This year, our theme is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds,” highlighting the crucial relationship between these two groups. We recognise the essential role insects play in fuelling the journeys of migratory birds across vast distances. Insects are essential for migratory birds as they provide the necessary energy for these long journeys, influencing the timing, duration, and success of migrations. Migratory birds often time their journeys to coincide with the abundance of insects. This synchronization ensures they have enough food to fuel their long flights and to feed their young.
Migratory birds connect different parts of the world, symbolizing the interconnectedness of our planet. Approximately 4000 species of birds migrate around our Planet Earth with songbirds, waterfowl, waders and shorebirds in the majority.
Why? Migration is movement with a purpose. The main driver is the need to exploit the best food resources, especially during the breeding season.
When? The timing of migration is triggered by changes in day length, as yet not fully understood hormonal changes and local weather conditions.
How? We still don`t fully understand how birds navigate but several mechanisms are used: the sun, moon or stars as `compasses`, an ability to read the Earth`s magnetic field, the skill to interpret the landforms they are flying over and learnt familiarity with terrain that has been visited before.
Nine major flyways form conduits for the huge transfer of continental birds from the northern hemisphere to the tropics and beyond. The three flyways that connect Europe, Asia and Africa together make up the world`s largest migratory system. Zimbabwe is home to 674 bird species. 140 of them are migratory. Amur Falcons breed in Mongolia and come to Zimbabwe each year flying more than fourteen thousand kilometres to reach us. They fly two and a half thousand kilometres over the sea. The Amur Falcon and its close cousin, the Western Red-footed Kestrel nests in Mongolia and comes all the way to Africa crossing the sea from India and reaching the African coast at the Horn of Africa. They use the monsoon winds in both directions to help them on their journey. On their long sea crossing, they join dragon-flies which also migrate at the same time and these insects provide them with much needed food. Amur Falcons roost at night at specially selected roosting sites usually in eucalyptus trees. At these roosting sites, birds can number a few thousand birds. In Harare, they can be seen in large numbers perched along the power lines on the main road to Ruwa at the Mabvuku turnoff.
