May 10, 2008 is the annual celebration of International Migratory Bird Day, and this year’s theme is “Tundra to Tropics: Connecting Birds, Habitats, and People.”

According to the IMBD website:

IMBD was created in 1993 by visionaries at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. From 1995 to 2006, the program was under the direction of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Because of its consistent growth, IMBD is now the premier education project of Environment for the Americas. IMBD continues to focus attention on one of the most important and spectacular events in the life of a migratory bird — its journey between its summer and winter homes. Today, it is celebrated in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Central America through bird festivals and bird walks, education programs, and Bird Day! We invite you to join us in this important celebration.

Visit the IMBD website for resources including press kits and youth activity ideas. Also visit their events listing page to find out what activities are planned around the country.

In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a listing of events that are planned at national wildlife refuges, fish hatcheries and wetland management districts.

If you’d like to learn more about the special problems that migratory birds face, read the Tundra to Tropics fact sheet to learn interesting information about migratory birds and the importance of protecting crucial habitat along their migratory highways.

Tags:
wildlife, wildlife refuge, migratory birds, International Migratory Bird Day