National Bird Day: A Date with Feathers and Flight
Birds are defined as a group of warm-blooded vertebrates, which have feathers, toothless beaked jaws, strong skeleton, and 4 – chambered heart. Their size ranges from hummingbird (smallest bird in the world) with 5.5 cm size to ostrich (largest bird in the world) which is 2.8 m in size. Due to their mystery, whole day of 5th January is dedicated to them as National Bird Day to explore about them!
History of National Bird Day
Moving from cardinals to doves, from parakeets to parrots, there is a vast list of the species of birds in the world. Bird day is actually the event of United States, which is indicated by the term “national”, yet the love of people for birds has made this day globally cherished celebration.
A special day for birds, Bird Day was originally created by the Avian Welfare Coalition to aware public about their needs and difficulties which they face. This day was recognized firstly in 2002 after which this celebration continued to earn fame and reached the present day.
Originally, the very first holiday for birds was started in 1894 by Charles Almanzo Babcock who was the superintendent of schools in Oil City, Pennsylvania. Later on, this day was transformed into the International Migratory National Bird Day in May.
Importance
This special day for bird lovers is very delightful celebration to educate people about the importance of birds in maintaining our ecosystem. It raises awareness about the threatened bird species, also the challenges they are facing.
This is done through emphasizing their significance in pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control. Although word “national” indicates the U.S., yet this event resonates globally to unite people in efforts to engage in birdwatching, habitat restoration, and preservation activities.
Timeline
Statistics that Matter
Birds are very cute, colorful and heart-taking creature which has so much interesting facts which must be explored!
How to Celebrate National Bird Day?
Celebration of this day is very significant to discuss while talking about its importance and history. There are a plenty of options to celebrate this delightful event as below:
Build Birdhouses
As it is well-known that many bird species are threatened currently, you can help them in having a shelter. You can build a birdhouse on some suitable location so that some bird can live there.
Watch Movies
National bird is perfect day to see bird-themed movies. Choose from Hoot, Legend of the Guardians, The Legend of Pale Male, Rio, The Life of Birds, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill or Winged Migration.
Observe Birds
Other than all this, an option for the bird lovers is to watch birds and make it their hobby. This will keep you far away from your worries by delving you into the world of birds. Astonishingly, there’re some birds, like Zebra Finch, that can compose unparalleled songs.
Adopt a Feathered Friend
You can consider adopting a bird on this bird day, this will not only provide them a home but also provide you a small and very cute friend which will keep you happy all the time.
Capture Moments
Go to some nearby zoo or the place which is home of birds like forest. You can take your camera with you to capture the best scenes you spend with birds.
Domestication and Care
Domestication of birds is very common all around the world as people love to keep this lovely creature to sound around them all the time. Domestication of parrots, canaries, or finches needs a lot of terms to be fulfilled like a clean and properly ventilated cage with a balanced diet, and most importantly toys. These lovely birds need proper healthcare which includes their check-ups, nutritious feed and clean water. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers a wealth of resources, including bird identification guides, citizen science projects, and live bird cams.
National Bird Day Dates
| Year | Date | Day |
| 2024 | January 5 | Friday |
| 2025 | January 5 | Sunday |
| 2026 | January 5 | Monday |
| 2027 | January 5 | Tuesday |
| 2028 | January 5 | Wednesday |
