THE lush green environment mapping the Amani Nature Forest Reserve in Muheza District, Tanga Region will be receiving flocks of three bird species from Europe that get to migrate there from May 2024, onwards.

Assistant Researcher at Amani Nature Forest, Aloyce John Mkonghewa unveiled this yesterday when addressing reporters from the Journalist’ Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET).

Mkonghewa explained that the European Bee Eaters, or Merops Apiaster usually populate the arid and semi-arid areas of Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and western Asia.

He described the three types of migratory birds that expected to swarm onto the reserve as the European Bee eaters, European Honey Buzzards and Eurasian Golden Oriole.

The researcher was describing the important role that the Amani and Nilo forest conservation activities in Muheza were important not only to Tanga Region or Tanzania as a country, but also crucial to the global wild species. “The bee-eaters are strong migratory birds that will usually commence their journey to their breeding territories in mid-April to late May, staying within Amani forest for most part of mid-year,” stated Mkonghewa.

The delegation of environment journalists under the auspices of the Tuhifadhi Maliasili activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Tanzania learned that the birds will later fly down to Namibia and South Africa.

But the European Bee-eaters journey usually takes the birds as far as Morocco, western Russia to central and southwestern Asia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Oman and they also appear to be expanding their territories into Great Britain, Finland, and Sweden.

The other type of birds expected in Amani Forest in a few weeks’ time include the European honey buzzards whose movements are traced from most of Europe to South-western Siberia before moving into tropical Africa, especially Tanzania, for European winters.

Amani Nature Forest Reserve is also playing host to flocks of Eurasian golden oriole bird species, members of the passerine birds that migrate to East and Southern Africa during winter seasons in Europe.

 According to Margaret Simon Malekela the Assistant Conservator II at Amani Nature Reserve, the forest has become an important destination for international bird watchers especially those who participate in birds identifying competitions.

Managed under the Tanzania Forestry Services Agency (TFS) Amani Nature Reserve is the largest forested block located on the southern escarpments of the East Usambara Mountains.

Mapped within 8,380 hectares, Amani Nature Reserve consists of tall luxurious sub montane forests and deciduous to semi-deciduous lowland forests falling within the two districts of Muheza and Korogwe in Tanga Region.