September 6th is a special date to celebrate World Wading Bird Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the importance and protection of these birds traveling around the world.
Why is World Shorebird Day celebrated?
The main goal of World Shorebird Day is to promote research and monitoring of these birds and highlight the importance of their conservation on a global scale.
To ensure the conservation of the various species, it is crucial to protect both the habitat and migratory routes of these birds. In recent decades, shorebird populations have declined significantly, reinforcing the importance of conservation measures.
Waders: strange travelers
Waders are migratory waterbirds of the order Charadriiformes that occur in a variety of habitats including dunes, sandy beaches, coastal and inland wetlands, and grasslands. Unfortunately, some of these rooms have been affected by various factors.
- Environmental pollution.
- Vehicles can disrupt habitat and cause stress for birds that breed or nest in these areas.
- Disrespectful leisure activities.
- Stalk other animals to the nests.
Waders are known for their ability to undertake long migrations and come from different parts of the world. Typically, these birds make two migrations per year: in the fall they migrate south to reach their wintering grounds, and in the spring they migrate north to breed.
It is currently estimated that there are around 217 species of migratory and resident birds. These birds are characterized by their diversity in shape and size, making them one of the most diverse groups. In addition to their beauty and uniqueness, these birds play an important role as indicators of environmental change. Their presence or absence can provide valuable information about the state of the ecosystem in which they live.
Birds have a number of distinctive physical properties:
- Long fingerswhich give it stability and balance on soft surfaces.
- Long, thin legsfor hiking in sand, mud and shallow water.
- Elongated peaksto search for food in the mud and water.
- Spotted plumage, which allows them to camouflage and hide from predators. With long primary feathers for flying at high speeds.
Waders have different nesting and nesting seasons depending on the species they belong to. Most of these species do not live near the coast, but in other habitats. In addition, many of them are migratory birds, covering long distances on their journeys.
Some species of waders
Below we present some of the most famous species of wading birds:
- sandpiper (Calidris canutus)
- Half Palm Stint (Calidris pusilla)
- American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)
- red knot (Calidris canutus roselaari)
- White sandpiper (Calidris alba)
- Common seagull (Larus canus)
- Pacific seagull (larus pacificus)
- gannets (Morus bassanus)
With information from: