An epic 3,300km migration!👏🕊️ Our Partner BirdLife Malta tracked a full migration cycle of a Turtle-dove named May, from Malta to Timbuktu. 🗺️ In April 2024, May was tagged with a lightweight solar-powered GPS tracker as part of the EU-funded Habitrack project. 🏷️ She left her breeding grounds in Sicily to embark on her autumn migration in September 2024. From flying across the Sahara, to a week’s rest in Niger, and travelling down to Mali in late September, she travelled more than 3,300km! 🙌 In April 2025, she began her return journey to Europe, and after a Mediterranean storm delayed her, she finally returned in May to the exact spot in Sicily where she nested the year before.🪺 But this Turtle-dove was lucky. Thousands of birds are killed each year during their autumn passage due to Malta’s open hunting season, despite recommendations of the EU task force on the recovery of birds. May last transmitted on 11th September 2025 after probably moving South as expected. Her story shows the extreme effort migratory birds invest to reach their breeding grounds.📍 Find out more here 👉 https://birdlifemalta.org/2025/06/turtle-dove-may-tracked-from-malta-to-timbuktu-and-back-in-epic-3300km-migration/ 📷BirdLife Malta #TurtleDove #BirdLifeInternational #BirdBehaviour #Migration #GlobalFlyways BirdLife Europe and Central Asia (fb)

Meet the Metallic Starling! 💫 You can spot this glossy feathered fruit eater from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands and North-Eastern Australia.🌏 Metallic Starlings can be found in rainforests, coastal woodlands and mangroves, making their nests high up in the canopy of tall trees.🌳 They nest in large groups with up to 400 globe-shaped nests in one tree. Fallen food and bird droppings can accumulate below, creating a ‘pop-up ecosystem’ which supports a range of animals.🐍🪰🦜 Microscopic differences in the structure of their feathers gives them their rainbow sheen and the redness of their eyes indicates their readiness to breed.🪶 Find out more on our DataZone👉 https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/metallic-starling-aplonis-metallica #BirdLifeInternational #BirdBehaviour #Starling #SpeciesSpotlight (fb)