Illegal trapping and trafficking of wild birds have long been a serious problem in Cuba. Due to the rise of social media and economic problems caused in part by the pandemic, it recently reached a crisis point, with tens of thousands of resident and migratory birds captured every year. In 2023, Cuban conservationist Yaro Rodríguez and his partner, artist and ornithologist  Nils Navarro, were awarded a Betty Petersen Conservation Fund grant to grow the nascent bird watching movement in Cuba as a way to improve the knowledge of Cuban avifauna and promote conservation efforts based on citizen science. 

Their project involved providing binoculars and training to community and group leaders so that they would engage in bird monitoring and share the data through eBird Caribbean. These teams would then grow local birding clubs and raise awareness throughout Cuba of the need to protect birds and their habitats through community education and social media. These newly fledged birders would 1) help to put pressure on the authorities to enforce laws protecting wild birds, and 2) provide valuable citizen science data to eBird Caribbean, thereby increasing our knowledge of the status and trends of Cuban birds, including further identification of hotspots for endemism and migration stopover sites. 

Yaro and Nils hit the ground running! They mobilized communities in almost every province in Cuba, connecting with persons from diverse backgrounds and converting them into passionate bird watchers and protectors—from hunters to hotel managers, from students to government workers. In this blog, Yaro shares achievements with us from their phenomenal first year, and tells us about the exciting next steps as their project continues to grow in influence.

What an amazing year our birding project had in Cuba! We want to share some of the incredible things that the Cuban birding community accomplished together during the past year. Cuba is home to a wealth of unique and endangered bird species, many of which are endemic and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Our conservation efforts are comprehensive—we don’t just work to preserve species, we also focus on raising awareness of the value and importance of birds through social networks, like Facebook and Whatsapp. Birds play a crucial role in pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control, and we recognize that their conservation is vital for the health of our ecosystems. 

Gundlach’s Hawk perched. (Photo by Michael J. Good)

The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), endemic to Cuba, is the world’s smallest bird. Weighing less than 2g, it is not much bigger than a bee. It is classified as ‘Near Threatened’. (Photo by Ernesto Reyes)

The national bird of Cuba – the Cuban Trogon. (Photo by Rafy Rodriguez)

Cuban Oriole. (Photo by Neil Hilton)

Empowering local leaders and building birding communities

Over the past year, our team identified passionate potential birding leaders in almost every province of Cuba and worked with them to form and maintain active Facebook communities. These groups strengthen our community. They expose illegal bird hunting and trapping activities on social media by reporting them to the relevant authorities. It has been a challenge, and there is still a lot to do, but we have certainly made progress. These birds now have our voice to champion their protection and we will continue to defend them.

“The first bird of the season has fallen” – August 2021 Facebook post by a bird trapper in Cuba showing a migratory warbler, the Northern Parula.

A Facebook page with thousands of subscribers announces the sale of 39 recently caught Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. Community birding groups are vigilant and report illegal trapping activities on social media to the authorities.

Over the course of the year, we organized exciting activities to promote birding, such as the Gundlach Weekend and Garrido Birding Day, October Big Day, and Global Big Day. Through these activities, we participated in global celebrations and citizen science events and helped add data to the eBird platform.

Exchanging trapping cages for binoculars—igniting passions for conservation

We also created a WhatsApp group to guide new bird enthusiasts; through this group we have organized expeditions to previously unexplored places. We have even confronted hunters, face to face, and have encouraged them to join us in birdwatching. And boy was it worth it! We made amazing discoveries, and even turned some local hunters into passionate birders! 

Mixed flock of Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Glossy Ibisis flies over the rice fields, Chambas, Ciego de Ávila. (Photo by Eduardo Caraballo)

West Indian Whistling-Ducks having a snooze on a wetland in Cayo Coco, Cuba. (Photo by Max Schwenne)

Take for example, the story of Eduardo Caraballo: Eduardo used to be a fierce hunter but now he protects the waterbirds in the rice fields of Chambas, Ciego de Avila. He has actually become our local guide in that area! There is also Brayan Lazaro Calunga, a former Parakeet nest hunter who now protects them—he jealously guards the palms where they nest in the northern circuit of the wetlands of Bolivia, Ciego de Avila. Nicolas Peralta, a security chief at one of the hotels in Cayo Coco, has become a passionate bird watcher and destroys the bird cages he finds around the tourist facilities. Nicolas educates his workers, who are mainly gardeners, about why they should not engage in trapping. It’s amazing how we have changed lives! 

Saving the best for last—ending the year with a grand finale!

We closed the year with an incredible National Bird Identification Workshop where we connected with birders from almost every province! Under the theme, “United for Birds,” our community gathered for a week of intense work sessions, presentations, workshops, and field trips. The objectives of the National Bird Identification Workshop were to strengthen our bonds as a community; to share knowledge; and to act as eBird ambassadors by sharing everything we have learnt about using and contributing to the platform as citizen scientists. Workshop sessions included training in Bird Observation and Bird Photography for scientific documentation purposes, and learning how to use the Annotated List of The Birds of Cuba. We used this forum to not only reach the communities most vulnerable to illegal bird hunting, but also to strategize among our team about how we could encourage hunters to join us, especially as they often share our love for birds. This unique experience helped us to get to know each other better, share and learn from each other’s experiences in various areas, and continue adding more people to our community. 

At the workshop, we launched the second edition of the Great Cuban Year! Our first Great Year in 2022 was a spectacular year-long birdwatching extravaganza with birders—old, new, and in-between—competing to observe and record the highest number of species! The Great Cuban Year encourages Cubans to don their Citizen Scientist caps and explore their island, while enjoying the birds in their natural habitats rather than in cages. (Cuba’s first Great Year was a fantastic success, with eBird checklists in April 2022 growing by a phenomenal 338%! The Great Cuban Year 2024 promises to soar to even greater heights!)

Our National Bird Identification Workshop also gave us the opportunity to engage our community in the goal of “tying up loose ends of Cuban Ornithology.” These are gaps in our knowledge or things that remain to be clarified in Cuban ornithology—like determining whether particular species are breeding in Cuba, identifying important nesting sites for various species, and documenting records of new species for Cuba.  We also shared protocols to follow when planning natural history studies, so that communities are empowered to contribute detailed information on the natural history of our birds.

Members of the Bird Observers Club presented the bird conservation work they are doing across the Cuban provinces. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)

Attendees practicing their bird identification and photography skills in the field. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)

Attendees at the National Bird Identification Workshop proudly display their name tags and bird ID sheets. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)

Wency Rosales speaks about the club’s environmental education program in the province of Holguín. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)

It was all a great success! The active participation of our community, the exciting engagement in friendly competition, and the transformation of some hunters to wildlife advocates are signs of our positive impact. While we faced challenges, such as resistance from some hunters and a shortage of fuel to travel to hard-to-reach areas, we also learned a lot. Our comprehensive strategy, which includes education, knowledge sharing, and awareness raising, has been key to our progress. Adaptability and collaboration were also essential factors. While we have overcome many obstacles, we understand that there is always more to learn. 

A student labels the parts of a bird with help from an Aves Silvestres de Guisa club member. (Photo by Carlos Arevalo)

Aves Silvestres de Guisa members birding with third grade students of Fabricio Ojeda School. (Photo by Carlos Arevalo)

Completed parts of a bird diagram activity. (Photo by Carlos Arevalo)

Our commitment to bird conservation with the birding community in Cuba goes beyond the simple thrill of spotting a rare species. It is a dedication to preserving our natural heritage while fostering a love for our birds, and to ensuring a harmonious coexistence between humans and birds. Together, we are not just birding; we are safeguarding the soul of our island. Thank you for being part of this amazing birding trip in Cuba! Together, we are making a difference and protecting our precious birds. Here’s to more in the coming year!

The Betty Petersen Conservation Fund seeks to advance the conservation status of birds and habitats in the Caribbean region through projects that engage and empower communities and stakeholders to protect and benefit sustainably from their birds. BirdsCaribbean encourages others to consider endowments or other large awards to ensure that our grants programs continue indefinitely. Empower Caribbean conservation by making a tax deductible gift here.