Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival
BirdsCaribbean is working to increase awareness and appreciation of the region’s unique bird life through an annual Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF).
The theme of the 2024 festival is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds.” We want to highlight the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. For our dazzling hummingbirds, our captivating todies, swooping swifts and swallows, darting flycatchers, pewees and potoos, drilling woodpeckers, and many other birds—insects are an essential protein source. They keep up birds’ energy and body mass, and are also critical for nurturing healthy baby birds. Unfortunately insect populations declining due to loss of habitats and increased use of pesticides. However together we can take proactive conservation measures to reverse this trend.
Click here to learn more about our plans to celebrate birds and create insect-friendly habitats this spring. We hope you will join us in our month-long celebration of the festival with your own activities, such as birding, planting trees, and learning about the importance of insects to our environment. Similar to our previous three CEBFs, we will be featuring a new Endemic Bird of the Day, puzzles, coloring pages, activities, webinars, and much more! You can find a library of our past Endemic Birds of the Day here. Be sure to follow us on social media, @BirdsCaribbean (Instagram, Facebook and twitter), and share how you are participating at home!
Looking for a CEBF event on your island? Check our map below for what is going on near you!
If you are a CEBF event organizer and would like to add your in-person, virtual or hybrid event(s) to this map please use this Google form to register your event with us. The information you provide will then be used to populate the map above. If your event is a presentation being held at a school or university and is not open to the public you can still fill out the form, but state that it is closed to the public.
An impressive 31% of the ~565 species of birds within the region are found nowhere else in the world! See the list of 171 endemic birds in the region (the Bermuda Petrel is also listed although not technically a West Indies endemic, and note that the list recently increased to 176!). At dozens of events throughout the region, participants of all ages will learn about actions they can take to help the unique birds found only in the Caribbean. Activities are organized by local organizations in each Caribbean island/country and include presentations, bird walks, art competitions, tree plantings, clean ups, and more.
BirdsCaribbean has hosted this festival for more than 20 years. The month-long celebration includes Caribbean-wide activities beginning on Earth Day (April 22), through to International Biodiversity Day (May 22), in more than twenty countries. The event celebrates the 176 bird species that are found only in the Caribbean, known as endemics. The highly successful program attracts over 100,000 participants and volunteers each year. Learn more about our endemic birds here. To find out how you can participate in CEBF activities, contact our Co-Regional Coordinators, Aliya Hosein and Eduardo Llegus.
World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD)
The long journeys that migratory birds take each year are truly fantastic. These birds, like our endemics and residents, are part of our natural heritage and it is up to us to conserve the habitats they need to feed and rest during winter or their long migrations. We encourage all of you to celebrate WMBD in your own country, as you have celebrated the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival with great success for many years now. WMBD is officially celebrate on the second Saturday in October in the Caribbean (this year October 12th), but you can celebrate anytime in the fall that is convenient for you.
In 2024, the theme is ““Protect Insects, Protect Birds.“ Migratory birds also depend upon insects for protein. Unfortunately insect populations are declining due to climate change, loss of habitats and increased use of pesticides. We will learn about the steps that individuals, communities, and governments can take to prevent further decline in insect populations. We will also learn about the long migrations some species take between their breeding and wintering ranges and how important the Caribbean is to migrants.
In the fall, we will share a Migratory Bird of the Day with colouring pages, online puzzles, natural history information, photos, videos, activities for kids, webinars, and more! Follow along on our website and social media (look for BirdsCaribbean on Facebook, twitter and Instagram). We are also hosting webinars – check out what’s available here on BirdsCaribbean Live. Thanks to assistance from Environment for the Americas, we have a new poster, education kits, and other materials to help you celebrate. Great resources for celebrating WMBD can be found at Environment for the Americas website (home of WMBD in the Americas) and MigratoryBirdDay.org, and also the global website of World Migratory Bird Day.