About
What Is the East Atlantic Flyway?
Every year, millions of migratory birds retrace a journey as old as time, from the frozen tundra of the Arctic, through the tidal wetlands of Europe, to the mangrove forests and seagrass beds of West and Southern Africa. Each flight links continents, cultures, and communities through a shared natural heritage.
The East Atlantic Flyway is one of nature’s longest migration corridors, connecting over 44 countries and thousands of wetlands that sustain life along this route. It is both an ecological network and a framework for cooperation.
To protect the Flyway means protecting the connection between species, between ecosystems, and between people and the planet itself.
Flyway VisionMigratory birds find lasting refuge along the East Atlantic Flyway, from northern breeding areas to their key Wadden Sea stopover and the African coastline, inspiring and connecting people for generations to come.
Our Mission
Our aim is to ensure that migratory birds continue to thrive along the East Atlantic Flyway. By protecting, restoring, and reconnecting wetlands and ecosystems, we help safeguard the habitats they depend on while strengthening resilience to climate change. Working at the intersection of science, management and policy, we develop conservation solutions that benefit both people and nature.
Every migration is a testament to resilience; every return, a promise renewed.
Every migration is a testament to resilience; every return, a promise renewed.
The Birds We Follow
The East Atlantic Flyway connects a network of breeding, staging, and wintering areas that sustain millions of migratory birds throughout their annual journeys.
Generations of scientists and thousands of volunteers count and monitor 88 coastal waterbird populations, creating one of the world's longest and most comprehensive records of migratory bird populations. These observations tell a mixed story. While some populations are recovering, others continue to decline. Today, one in three monitored populations is decreasing, reflecting the mounting pressures on the wetlands that are closely tied to the survival of the birds.
Every count adds another chapter to this shared record, revealing how migratory birds respond to a changing world. Their journeys offer a reflection of the health of the ecosystems on which both wildlife and people depend.
One Flyway - 44 countries - Millions of waterbirds
Click a country to show information.
Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the East Atlantic Flyway concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or any area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
A Shared Responsibility
A Shared Responsibility
Like the Flyway itself, conservation depends on connection. Across continents, communities, and cultures, individual actions do not stand alone. Small actions taken by many can multiply into a collective effort far greater than the sum of its parts.
Together, we share the responsibility and the opportunity to protect the Flyway for future generations.
One Flyway.
One Future.
For birds.
For wetlands.
For life.
One Flyway.
One Future.
For birds.
For wetlands.
For life.
