Education
‘Ibadan Malimbe’ bird finds new guardians among Kaduna students – EnviroNews
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Students at Government Day Secondary School in Kujama, Kaduna State, spent close to an hour learning about a bird that was completely new to all of them. By the time the class ended, this bird had become an example of bird losses that have been the crisis of Nigeria’s forests.
The bird is called the Ibadan Malimbe, one of the rarest bird species in Nigeria and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. This black-and-red bird lives only in a few small forest areas in southwestern Nigeria, particularly in Ibadan. Unfortunately, these forests are getting smaller because people are cutting down trees, clearing land for farms, and human settlements are encroaching.
Conservation Leadership Programme said the bird is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with only a population estimated at about 2,500 mature individuals across a fragmented range of roughly 112 km² forests.
To save a species like this, people all over the country need to know about it. It is especially important for young people who live near threatened forests to learn how to protect them.
The gathering with students
On July 6, 2026, the project’s researcher Mr. Francis Annagu, visited the school to teach students about different types of wildlife and the story of this endangered Malimbe. Around 227 students from SS1 and SS2 classes attended the lecture. They were joined by about 37 teachers and school workers, including the Principal and the Vice Principal.
As such, pictures were used to show the students what the bird looks like and where it makes its home. For the majority of the students and teachers, this was the very first time they had ever laid eyes on it.
It measures about 20 cm long as the males have a striking black body with a red head and breast, while females carry smaller red patches.
A particularly memorable moment occurred when a recording of the bird’s call was played. While some students mentioned they recognized the sound from birds in their own neighborhood, others noted they had never heard anything quite like it before. Regardless of their familiarity, the recording successfully sparked a lively discussion among everyone present.
Both students and teachers had a lot of questions. They wanted to know if the bird was valuable, what kinds of predators ate it, and if it could be found in other countries. They also asked what the government was doing to protect Ibadan Malimbe. The teachers were curious about the bird’s diet, its remaining population numbers, and whether it held any connection to local traditions.
That deep curiosity highlighted a much broader issue, that is, the vast majority of Nigerians are unaware of the endangered wildlife in the country and why protecting them is so critical.
The bird was first recorded close to the University of Ibadan in 1951 and was once common there but grew increasingly scarce as forests are being cleared at accelerated levels.
Therefore, the school was chosen for a reason. Government Day Secondary School Kujama in Kaduna State is located in a crowded, and rural area where most families depend heavily on farming and forest trees for firewood and charcoal for cooking.
During conversation with the students, many of them openly admitted that they regularly gather firewood, produce charcoal, or cut down trees for roofing houses. If these activities continue without proper management, they place heavy pressure on the exact forests that conservationists are fighting to save. This honest admission highlights exactly why this kind of environmental education must reach the communities directly relying on nature for survival, rather than just focusing on cities or classrooms far removed from the actual problem.
“Young people are more than just the leaders of tomorrow; they are already actively involved in decisions that shape the environment,” Mr. Annagu explained. “Giving them the right information about wildlife and nature allows them to make smart, and informed choices today.”
The Malimbe Bird Club
The visit also resulted in a concrete achievement. The launch of the Malimbe Guardians Conservation Club, making it the very first school club in the country dedicated specifically to protecting the Ibadan Malimbe.
Fifty-three students and more are signing up as founding members. They have been divided into smaller groups that will lead monthly conservation activities at the school. The school administration plans to keep this momentum going, and the project lead left behind posters and printed materials to help support future lessons.
The bigger picture
Conservationists emphasise that the goal goes far beyond saving a single bird species. When a forest animal disappears, it is typically a warning sign of much deeper problems, such as widespread habitat destruction and an ecosystem that is losing its natural ability to recover.
Because the Ibadan Malimbe depends on forest trees for nesting, it can still survive in forest patches, but with the continued loss of habitats, it remains the greatest threat.
“The students began the day as total strangers, learning about a bird native to a part of the country most of them had never even visited. The lectures are a powerful reminder that protecting nature is a responsibility shared by everyone,” the Vice Principal, Mr Williams Usman, noted.
By Francis Annagu
