Did you know that there are more than 9,800 species of birds? With their colorful feathers, melodious songs, and the ability to soar through the air, they are some of the most exquisite creatures on earth!
Initiated in 2002 by the Avian Welfare Coalition and Born Free USA to raise awareness of the importance of native wild birds, National Bird Day is observed annually on January 5. This date was chosen because that's when the annual Christmas Bird Count took place, although today it takes place from December 14 through January 5.
Here are five fun ways to help you celebrate our feathered friends on National Bird Day — or any day!
1. Have a good laugh!
We already know why the chicken crossed the road, right? Here's another joke that is sure to make you cackle!
What do you call a funny chicken? A comedi-hen!
2. Learn some bird-themed idioms and phrases!
Have you ever heard the phrase "eats like a bird"? This is an idiom for a person who doesn't eat very much. Ironically, birds actually eat quite a bit for their size. The typical bird eats a quarter to half of their body weight — every day!
To compare that to humans, the average fourth grader weighs about 70 pounds. To "eat like a bird," that fourth grader would have to eat 17-35 pounds of food!
Perhaps because there are so many species of birds, there are a lot of bird-themed idioms and phrases. Here are a few more to learn:
- A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
- As the crow flies
- Morning lark and night owl
- Eagle eye
- The early bird catches the worm
- Free as a bird
- Like a duck to water
- Crazy as a loon
- Graceful as a swan
- Happy as a lark
- Proud as a peacock
3. Make a bird feeder!
Birds have a more challenging time finding food in the winter, which is why many birds fly south — or migrate — for the winter. You can help feed the birds in your neighborhood!
Our Cookie Cutter Bird Feeder is made with water, gelatin, and birdseed (be sure to get the non-sprouting kind) and looks so cute hanging in the backyard. Except for boiling the water, kids as young as 3 years old can help make them! Get complete instructions here.
4. Watch a family movie!
Snuggling up on the couch is a great way to spend a cold winter evening. Here are a few of our favorite family-friendly bird movies.
- Happy Feet (PG): Emperor Penguins from Antarctica each express their true love with a special heart song of their own that expresses their very being. However, the misfit Mumble cannot sing. Instead, he has an extraordinary talent to tap dance with almost magical energy and expression.
- Rio (G): When Blu, a flightless macaw who is the last of his kind, discovers another, he embarks on an adventure to magical Rio de Janeiro. There he meets Jewel and a menagerie of vivid characters who help Blu fulfill his dream and learn to fly.
- Surf's Up (PG): Surfing means everything to teenage penguin Cody Maverick. He leaves his home in Antarctica for Pen Gu Island, the site of the Big Z Memorial Surf Off. Cody believes that winning the competition will bring him the respect and admiration he craves. However, an encounter with washed-up surfer Geek teaches Cody what is truly important.
- Storks (PG): Storks used to deliver babies, but now they deliver packages for a global Internet store. Junior, the top delivery stork, is about to be promoted when he accidentally activates the Baby Making Machine, which produces an unauthorized baby girl!
- The Angry Birds Movie (PG): When an island populated by happy, flightless birds is visited by mysterious green piggies, it's up to three unlikely outcasts — Red, Chuck, and Bomb — to figure out what the pigs are up to.
5. Get up close and personal!
Visit the budgie room in the Australia Walkabout section of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. You'll be surrounded by over 100 free-flying budgies, cockatiels, and princess parrots. Purchase a seed stick for $1 for an up-close experience.
