April 1 - International Bird Day                                                                

On April 1, 1906, the International Convention for the Protection of Birds was signed. In the former Soviet Union, the celebration of "International Bird Day" has become a tradition since April 1, 1927.

Since 1994, this holiday has been celebrated in most countries within the framework of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere program.

It should be noted that birds are one of the exterminators of harmful agricultural insects. Every season has its own birds. As the seasons change, birds also change their habitat.

In recent years, under the influence of various factors, including human activities, the bird world has decreased in number and is even under the threat of complete extinction. In addition to the anthropogenic factor, climate change and natural disasters also had a harmful effect on the ecosystems of the animal world.

Birds occupy a special place in the fauna of the Republic of Tajikistan. It has been established that the avifauna of our republic includes more than 400 species, of which 43 are listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Tajikistan. Only in the Sughd region, 22 species of birds are rare and extinct, and ornithologists have included them in the book "Rare and extinct species of flora and fauna of the region."

Among them there are 3 subspecies of tazarf (pheasant), the population of which is declining from year to year under the influence of various factors. This bird is Syrdarya, Zeravshan and Tajik. The reduction in the pheasant population makes it necessary to take timely measures to protect and preserve this bird species.

In order to restore and increase the number of birds annually National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Institute of Zoology and Parasitology named after. E.N. Pavlovsky, together with the Union for the Protection of Nature and Biological Diversity of Tajikistan, choose one of the rare birds of Tajikistan as the bird of the year. This year Saaba was chosen as the bird of the year 2023.

Saaba is not a rare bird, but in recent years it has been massively captured by bird hunters in the main areas of its distribution as a songbird. This factor may limit the saba population in the future in its specific habitat. Therefore, it is necessary to take effective measures against the illegal possession of the sabah.

From this point of view, it is the duty of every citizen - nature lover - to protect, preserve and restore the habitat of rare and endangered birds.