World Migratory Bird Day 2024 - Protect Insects Protect Birds

Oct 11, 2024

**Pearly-eyed Thrasher Feeding Fledgeling a Bug Lunch**

As we celebrate Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, October 12th, we highlight insects' importance in birds' lives.

Migratory Bird Day Organization, describes the theme for this year as follows:

“World Migratory Bird Day 2024 focuses on insects and its importance to bird life.
Insects are essential sources of energy for many migratory bird species, not only during the breeding seasons but also during their extensive journeys and greatly affect the timing, duration, and overall success of bird migrations. Along their migration routes, birds actively seek out insects in fields, forests, wetlands, and various habitats during stopovers. The timing of bird migration often coincides with peak insect abundance at stopover locations, supplying nourishment for birds to replenish their energy reserves before continuing their journeys.
The loss and disturbance of insect populations at breeding sites and along avian migration routes threaten bird survival and well-being. Natural spaces like forests and grasslands that have been transformed or endangered by intensive agriculture and urban development and its effects such as light pollution can result in a decline in insect populations. Pesticides and herbicides designed to protect crops harm insects that birds rely on for food. A scarcity of energy- and protein-rich insects can hinder bird migration and breeding, leading to weakened immune systems, reduced reproductive success, and increased mortality rates for both adult birds and their offspring.
Birds play crucial roles in pollination and pest control, and a lack of insects disrupts these ecosystem functions. Overpopulation of certain insects, without natural predators from birds, can also cause outbreaks that damage plant health and agriculture.The World Migratory Bird Day campaign in 2024 will stress the need for proactive conservation measures. This includes reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and where possible, switching to organic farming. Other measures include maintaining and connecting areas of natural vegetation which provide food and shelter for birds and other species, in agricultural landscapes.”

In the photograph above, an adult Pearly-eyed Thrasher feeds a recently fledged chick a Katydid. Although this thrasher is a resident bird in Anguilla and one of the island’s five Lesser Antilles Restricted Range species, insects are critical to its survival. Don’t let the bird’s fondness for a plate of french fries and ribs fool you!

According to Birds of the World, in addition to fruit (MY Papayas in particular), the Pearly-eyed Thrasher diet consists of animal prey as follows:

“Invertebrates made up 80% of the animal prey, of which 70% were arthropods, 66% insects and 4% non-insect, most of which were: arachnids (in descending abundance): (< 1% each) whip scorpions, centipedes (myriapods), spiders, and scorpions. Only 20% of the animal prey included vertebrates, ca 10% each of Eleutherodactylus sp. frogs and anoline lizards (Anolis spp.), all of which were fed to older nestlings.”

**Least Sandpiper Surrounded by Brine Flies West End Pond IBA**

Anguilla’s shores and salt ponds provide critical feeding grounds for migratory species as they recover from their arduous journey along the Atlantic Flyway. The video below shows Lesser Yellowlegs feeding on Brine Flies on Road Salt Pond IBA.

World Migratory Bird Day coincides with Fall Global Big Day. I will be out at dawn on the 12th counting birds on our wetlands. Stay tuned for updates on what I see on the Wild Side!