Global Flyways film series trace migratory birds across the world and the community efforts behind

As part of the World Migratory Bird Day, the BirdLife International and ‘Content with Purpose,’ have launched the Global Flyways.

This is a new digital series that brings together scientists, conservationists, communities, organizations and local voices to reveal the global effort to protect migratory birds.  

Every year, billions of migratory birds cross continents and oceans, connecting countries and ecosystems thousands of miles apart along ancient migratory routes known as flyways.

Their increasingly precarious journeys carry an important message about the pressures facing the natural world we all depend on.

BirdLife International’s 2026 State of the World’s Birds report reveals that 45 percent of migratory bird species are now in decline, while 200 species – one in nine – are threatened with extinction.

Their survival depends on connected habitats, coordinated conservation and people working together throughout entire flyways. For the first time, Global Flyways makes these interconnected journeys visible, bringing together stories spanning conservation, science, technology, communities and industry.   

Filmed across 19 countries and five continents, the digital series follows stories that span four global flyways, from scientists tracking migration and communities restoring wetlands, to Indigenous knowledge, bird-friendly infrastructure and international conservation partnerships.  

With 68 films and video assets, Global Flyways brings global conservation to life – creating a global picture rarely seen in one place, with individual stories of migration forming part of a much larger story about a connected planet.

The series also shows the many forms conservation can take.

It can mean restoring mangroves in Mozambique, protecting cranes in Tanzania, managing salt marshes in Spain, supporting bird-friendly coffee in Peru, designing safer infrastructure, planning renewable energy responsibly, tracking migration through new technology and building international networks that protect the places birds need most.

At its heart, Global Flyways is a story about connection. Birds do not recognise borders, and their journeys remind us that nature is shared. Protecting migration means protecting whole systems of life, from the smallest patch of grass where a curlew nests to the vast wetlands, forests, oceans and coastlines that sustain birds, people and the planet.

Produced in partnership between BirdLife International and Content With Purpose, the series reflects a shared belief that conservation can be ambitious, collaborative and hopeful.

Explore the films, meet the people behind the work and discover how protecting flyways can help birds and all life thrive.

The Chief Executive Officer of BirdLife International, Martin Harper, revealed that for two years their camera crews followed the birds through 19 countries, and at every stop they found people working tirelessly to save migratory birds.

“From today, anyone can watch. Together, we can inspire a global movement to safeguard these natural super-highways – for birds, for people and for the planet – and save the wonder of migration,” he said.

The Global Flyways series turns the scale of global bird migration into something tangible.

It brings that breadth of action together, featuring organizations and partners working across conservation, science, policy, infrastructure and community-led action around the world, including the American Bird Conservancy, Experience Azerbaijan, Bioseco S.A., BirdEyes Centre for Global Ecological Change at the University of Groningen and Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee.

Others are BirdWatch Ireland and Dublin Port, Guardian Glass, Leica Camera AG, Lotek, NABU, Nature Canada, Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture, Peace Parks Foundation, the RSPB, TE Connectivity, The Finnish Wildlife Agency, Vogelbescherming Nederland, Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) and IdentiFlight by Boulder Imaging.

Max Smith, Founder and Managing Director of Content With Purpose, pointed out that scross the world, people are doing extraordinary work to protect migratory birds and the landscapes and habitats they depend on.

“Global Flyways brings those efforts together, showing what conservation looks like in practice and what can be achieved when communities, scientists, organisations and decision-makers work towards a shared goal. This series is about celebrating progress as much as recognising the challenges ahead,” said Smith.

“By sharing examples of successful action from across the globe, we hope to show that protecting birds and the places they rely on is possible, and that there is already a huge amount of knowledge, commitment and momentum we can build on.”

Global Flyways was previewed during BirdLife International’s Global Partnership Meeting and Global Flyways Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, bringing together conservation leaders and BirdLife Partners from around the world.  

BirdLife International and CWP are inviting birdwatchers, conservationists, educators, researchers, policymakers, journalists and anyone curious about the natural world to explore the films, share their stories and discover how the places and people along the world’s flyways are connected.