Washington, D.C., January 5, 2017 — Today is Born Free USA’s 15th annual National Bird Day: a day to raise awareness for wild and captive birds everywhere.[teaserbreak]
According to Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA, a global leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation: “We want to use this day to remind the public that birds belong in the wild. They do not deserve to be bred in captivity in unregulated, often miserable conditions. They deserve to fly and not be traded and sold as pets where they spend their lives in cages, and where people cannot possibly meet the complicated needs of a bird.”
“National Bird Day is a time to celebrate birds for the true wild animals they are,” Roberts adds.
Born Free USA’s facts about birds:
- How many species of birds are there? There’s no single correct or universally agreed-upon number, and that’s because there is more than one definition of “species.” By one definition, there are 18,000-20,000 bird species; by another definition, there are only half that.
- Blackbird singing in the dead of night. “Blackbird,” a song on the Beatles’ White Album, is said to have been inspired by the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
- The Birds. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film The Birds employed live birds in many scenes. To attract the birds, actors often had ground meat or fish smeared on their hands.
- Indeed, a very Big Bird. Big Bird, a beloved character on the children’s program Sesame Street, debuted in 1969. He is 8 feet 2 inches (249 cm) tall.
- Keep on Rockin’! The common pigeon we see in cities around the world (and sometimes in rural or wilderness areas) used to be called the Rock Dove, but it’s now called the Rock Pigeon. It’s a feral, domesticated variation of the wild type found in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
- Nevermore. Edgar Allen Poe’s famous narrative poem, “The Raven,” was first published in The Evening Mirror on January 29, 1845.
- Now, that’s old! Parrot fossils have been found that date back as far as 60 million years.
- The bald eagle. The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States, but Benjamin Franklin had originally argued that the turkey would have been a more appropriate symbol.
- This is what is sounds like. Prince’s 1984 song “When Doves Cry” stayed at number one on the Billboard Music Chart for five weeks, keeping Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” from reaching the top spot.
- Kept captive around the world… Turacos and louries—long-tailed, medium-sized birds—are only found in the wild in Africa, but we commonly see them in zoos.
- Beep, beep! Looney Tunes characters The Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote debuted in 1949. Their adversarial relationship was inspired in part by Tom and Jerry.
- The bird is the word. “Surfin’ Bird” by The Trashmen was released in 1964. The song regained fame and notoriety after it was featured in a television episode of Family Guy.
- I smell an advantage for this owl. Great Horned Owls are found in every mainland state and Canadian province—and they have a really bad sense of smell! But, that’s good for them, because a major prey species for this owl is the skunk. The skunk’s best defense, a foul-smelling spray from their anal scent glands, does not deter the Great Horned Owl. Museum specimens of the owls, decades old, often retain traces of the skunk odor!
- The Last Suppers. In his two frescos of “The Last Supper,” painted in Florence in 1480 and 1482, Renaissance artist Domenico Ghirlandaio prominently featured flying peacocks. Art historians believe the peacocks are meant to emphasize the “Oriental” setting of the Last Supper scene.
- And, a partridge in a pear tree. In the song “The 12 Days of Christmas,” a holiday season standard, the singer’s true love gives her 364 gifts—184 of which are birds.
For more information on how to celebrate the wildness of all birds and help birds in captivity, please visit www.nationalbirdday.org. For bird owners looking for support, visit www.nationalbirdday.org/a_happy_bird.php.
Born Free USA is a global leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Through litigation, legislation, and public education, Born Free USA leads vital campaigns against animals in entertainment, exotic ‘pets,’ trapping and fur, and the destructive international wildlife trade. Born Free USA brings to America the message of ‘compassionate conservation’: the vision of the UK-based Born Free Foundation, established in 1984 by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, stars of the iconic film Born Free, along with their son, Will Travers. Born Free’s mission is to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation globally. More at www.bornfreeusa.org, www.twitter.com/bornfreeusa, and www.facebook.com/bornfreeusa.
Media contact: Rodi Rosensweig, publicrelations@bornfreeusa.org, (203) 270-8929