This World Migratory Bird Day, learn about some of the annual avian visitors to India. In keeping with the theme of 2025 --Creating Bird-Friendly Cities & Communities--let us work to make our ecosystems more welcoming. In recent years, many migratory bird species have given India a miss due to shrinking habitats and worsening pollution. Now is the time to act and make our neighbourhoods livable for our annual visitors and everyone.

World Migratory Bird Day is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. It is observed on 2nd Saturday in May and October! It is a global awareness-raising campaign to conserve Migratory Birds.

Migration of birds is a fascinating story. Many birds across the world travel to different locations in search of food and a warm place to breed. A new study has now found a dark side of the fascinating tale of migration -- the risk of spread of diseases. The researchers have studied two species of migratory birds and have identified the presence of two strains of parasites in them that could potentially spread the disease to the local bird population, which do not have the required immunity to fight against them. The researchers warn that their finding could put the entire local bird population at the risk of contracting the diseases.