Get ready to embrace the color of springtime and honor the Caribbean’s finest and most unique birds with us during the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) 2023!
The festival begins on April 22nd (Earth Day) and runs through to May 22nd (International Biodiversity Day).
This regional event happens across the Caribbean every year and highlights and celebrates the amazing birds that live only in the Caribbean—their natural history, threats, and how we can help reduce these threats.
This year the theme for the festival is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life.”
We are using the same “water” theme as World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) for our CEBF to unify our messages about the importance of water conservation to both humans and birds. (note: we will celebrate WMBD in the Caribbean with this theme in the fall).
Birds need water too!
We often see birds flying, preening, and feeding, but rarely do we see them drinking water. This does not mean that water is not important to birds.
In fact, birds need water just as much as we do. Drinking water helps them regulate body processes like digestion. Water also keeps birds clean and cool on hot days when they take a splish-splash in a puddle, gutter, or backyard bird bath.
Many birds also rely on wetland habitats, such as our ponds, salinas, marshes, mangroves, rivers, and coastal waters. With growing human populations and relentless development, there are growing demands for water and continued destruction of our remaining wetlands.
Pollution, erosion, and prolonged droughts are also directly impacting the quantity and quality of water resources and habitats available for our birds.
This CEBF join us in spreading the message that water conservation is vital for all life on earth, including birds!
More iconic endemic birds to be featured for Endemic Bird of the Day!
The CEBF team has been busy preparing for another stellar line-up for Endemic Bird of the Day! Follow this page during the festival as we share 25 new species! It’s a bit of a struggle for us to not reveal this year’s selected species just yet, but we can tell you this: expect beautiful bird artwork by the talented Josmar Marquez who will once again create our coloring pages. These will be accompanied by natural history information, range maps, puzzles, photos, videos, and activities, all designed to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and enjoyment for both adults and children.
Don’t forget that we have a wealth of educational resources from our past Endemic Birds of the Day!
Be sure to follow BirdsCaribbean on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up to date with our ‘birds of the day’ and to find out about webinars and activities during the festival.
In addition to these online activities our amazing CEBF island coordinators and educators will be celebrating with festivities on their respective islands through in-person events. Birdwatching trips, presentations, arts and crafts, bird fairs, habitat clean-ups, and “birdscaping” of home gardens, schools and parks with native plants are just a handful of the events that will take place across the region this year.
We encourage you to get in touch with your local conservation organizations to find out what events are taking place near you, this includes forestry departments too! You can also get together with your friends and family, or community groups and plan your own event. We have lots of activities on our website and YouTube: quizzes, ‘Learn to Sketch’ and origami tutorials, bug hunts, upcycled crafts, outdoor games, and many more that you can do in small or large groups.
Don’t forget to tag us in your photos and videos @birdscaribbean with #CEBF #FromTheNest #WaterSustainingBirdlife
CEBF Small Grants – Apply Now
BirdsCaribbean will once again offer small grants to help cover some CEBF expenses. To apply, send a short proposal via this form, no later than 10 April, 2023. Remember to include in your budget any in-kind funding you can offer: such as volunteer staff time, other materials, etc. You may also send your proposal to CEBF Co-Coordinators: Eduardo Llegus (CEBF@BirdsCaribbean.org) & Aliya Hosein (Aliya.Hosein@BirdsCaribbean.org), and Lisa Sorenson (Lisa.Sorenson@BirdsCaribbean.org) with the subject line: CEBF Small Grant Proposal 2023. Please contact Eduardo Llegus if you have any questions or doubts about this. We are looking forward to hearing about the many exciting activities you will be organizing this year.
We call on people of all ages to join us for this year’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival as we celebrate the diversity and endemism of bird species in the region and come together to raise awareness and nurture environmental stewardship.
You can use our beautiful graphics to promote your events for the CEBF – use them as they are (click in each image then right click and choose ‘save as’) or follow the links to use access a Canva template and add you own logos and information!
square canva template
Rectangular Canva template
Banner Canva Template
Es indudable que el agua es el recurso más importante para la vida en el planeta, las aves también la necesitan, debemos cooperar en que las fuentes de agua no se contaminen, crear bebederos para las aves sobre todo en lugares donde no existan fuentes naturales o donde la sequía sea más intensa, protejamos a las aves y estaremos protegiendo la vida de la raza humana.
Muy bien dicho, ¡gracias por tus inspiradores comentarios, Freddy!