SRES-211-119
Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2831; text: CR S2843)
Sponsored by Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
What it does
This resolution designates May 10, 2025, as "World Migratory Bird Day." It is a commemorative resolution only and does not create, modify, or repeal any law, regulation, program, or appropriation. It was passed by the Senate by unanimous consent.
Who benefits
Wildlife conservation organizations and advocates who gain a formal congressional acknowledgment of migratory bird conservation. Educators and outreach groups who may use the designation to raise public awareness. Birding and ecotourism industries that benefit from public interest in migratory birds.
Who is hurt
No group is materially harmed by this resolution. It carries no regulatory, fiscal, or legal effect.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that formal congressional recognition of World Migratory Bird Day elevates public awareness of the ecological importance of migratory birds, which face documented population declines — a 2019 study in Science found North America has lost roughly 3 billion birds since 1970. They contend that symbolic recognition costs nothing and can amplify conservation messaging at a national level.
Opponents argue
Opponents could argue that commemorative resolutions consume limited congressional floor time without producing any enforceable policy outcome, and that the underlying conservation challenges facing migratory birds — habitat loss, climate change, and building collisions — require substantive legislation rather than symbolic gestures. They contend that such resolutions may create an appearance of action while deferring meaningful policy responses.