Bird Life

A US$150,000 donation from Global Birdfair will help protect three Critically Endangered birds found nowhere else on Earth, bringing together science and local knowledge to prevent their extinction. There are places where finding a single bird can change what we know about an entire species. In the forests of São Tomé, a small island rising from the Gulf of Guinea, that possibility is very real.

How it started The controversy started in early May, when heavy machinery entered the Pishë Poro-Nartë protected landscape, part of the wider Vjosa Delta. This stretch of coastline hosts over 200 bird species and more than 70 endangered species, and sits on a migratory flyway used by birds crossing between Africa and Europe. It is one of the last wild coastlines the Mediterranean has left.

As September kicks off, we are also getting back to EU politics. And we can assure you: autumn is looking busy. So, what’s on the agenda? The fight to save our nature laws continues. Before summer, the European Commission launched a ‘stress test’ of the EU’s nature laws, to check whether the Birds and Habitats Directives are still fit for purpose. Here is the (not-so-funny) thing: they already did this exercise a few years ago. The conclusion? The laws work.

The African-Eurasian Flyway is a spectacular migratory bird superhighway, acting as a vital link between the cultures, landscapes, and people of Africa, Europe, and Central Asia. Stretching from the Arctic tundra to the southern tip of Africa, this vast corridor is utilised by more than 2 billion winged travellers and supports 465 migratory bird species. One of the many species relying on this incredible flyway is Ferruginous Duck.

Flyways are superhighways in the sky, and twice a year, millions of birds embark on an epic journey along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF). This extraordinary route spans diverse landscapes, stretching from the Siberian Arctic tundra through the tropical wetlands of Southeast Asia to the shores of Australia and New Zealand. The EAAF supports at least 523 bird species across two continents. Among them is the remarkable Great Knot, an Endangered shorebird that makes a long-distance journey.

“Through the Lens” Fujingahou Magazine, August 2026 Photos and text by HIH Princess Takamado Photo edited by Koichi Fujiwara (NATURE’S PLANET) Edited by Yuki Masuda (Fujingahou) English version prepared by BirdLife International. (This English version is provided for reference only and does not constitute an official version) Around this time last year, many of us – including myself – were making our way to the World Expo 2025, held in Osaka, Japan, caught up in the excitement of the occasion.

And that’s not by chance. The wall is an example of natural engineering, an approach that applies natural processes to construction. Instead of relying only on concrete and heavy infrastructure, this approach uses materials such as logs, stones, and native vegetation to create structures that work with ecosystems rather than against them. SPEA, our Partner in Portugal, has pioneered this approach since 2012. It all started as a response to a very practical challenge.

Migratory birds connect landscapes, countries, and even continents through their incredible long-distance journeys. As they travel to and from their breeding grounds every year, birds use routes known as ‘flyways’: set routes that include suitable habitats where they can stop to rest and refuel along the way. Across the globe, our Partners are working to protect the flyways and the incredible migratory birds that travel them. So what does it take to protect migratory birds and their habitats?

A young Cory’s Shearwater leaves its nest on a small island to head out to its future life at sea. It’s mid-October, the Shearwater’s eerie sounds carry across the water in the cool evening breeze. It’s time for them to leave their home soon. They flee the nest in the middle of the night, with nothing more than the light of the stars and the moon to guide their way.

Header Image: Pallas’s Fish-eagle © Rakesh Dhareshwar. Across the globe, billions of birds traverse superhighways in the sky known as flyways, connecting distant cultures, landscapes, and ecosystems. Among the main flyways on Earth is the Central Asian Flyway. This flyway is key for more than 600 bird species, connecting the breeding grounds in Central Asia, Mongolia, and Siberia to the wintering grounds in South Asia, the Middle East, and the islands of the Indian Ocean.