World Migratory Bird Day is a global conservation initiative to raise awareness of the need to protect migratory birds. The Day is held on the second weekend of May every year.

This year, a special concert on 10 May in Bonn, Germany, will mark the Day. Organized by the secretariats of the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species and the African-Eurasian Waterbirds Agreement, this concert will raise funds to protect the White-winged Flufftail.

According to the World Conservation Union, the species is now “critically endangered”, with only 250 birds remaining in the wild worldwide.

The Chorale Lirica San Rocco from Bologna, Italy, will present “The Magic of Opera”, a selection of world-famous Italian arias. The Deutsche Welle Choir will complement the programme with “Songs of the World”—gospel hymns, swing hits and international folk songs on migratory birds.

The concert is supported by the German and Italian ministries for the environment, the City of Bonn, Lions Clubs International and the Swiss non-governmental organization, Nos Oiseaux.

This year’s theme, “Destination Flyways: Migratory Birds and Tourism”, is linked to a project of the World Tourism Organization, which is examining the feasibility of developing sustainable tourism in eight key sites for bird migration in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Currently, 132 events are registered in over 50 countries. Since the first World Migratory Bird Day in 2006, the number of registered events has grown enormously, along with the number of countries celebrating the Day.

More information: http://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/