Join Us for National Bird Day

Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014

Why National Bird Day?

• The beauty, songs, and flight of birds have long been sources of human inspiration.
• Today, nearly 12 percent of the world's 9,800 bird species may face extinction within the next century, including nearly one-third of the world's 330 parrot species.
• Birds are sentinel species whose plight serves as barometer of ecosystem health and alert system for detecting global environmental ills.
• Many of the world's parrots and songbirds are threatened with extinction due to pressures from the illegal pet trade, disease, and habitat loss.
• Public awareness and education about the physical and behavioral needs of birds can go far in improving the welfare of the millions of birds kept in captivity.
• The survival and well-being of the world's birds depends upon public education and support for conservation.

This is the reason for National Bird Day. Join us!

For National Bird Day 2013 we hatched another Free Bird Photo Contest! The winning photograph of house sparrows was taken by Jenn Fraleigh of Forked River, NJ. She received a bird feeder and organic T-shirt from the Born Free USA online store, a copy of a bird-centric board game and other prizes.

Click here or on the image at right — Jenn's winning photograph — to see results from our inaugural contest in 2012. Find results of our inaugural Free Bird Photo Contest here.

We were very excited to partner in the contest with Outset Media, which provided as first- through fifth-place prizes "What Bird Am I?"^® Outset's website describes it as "a table top game designed for birders to test their species identification skills! With three levels of difficulty, 'What Bird Am I?' is perfect for novice and intermediate birdwatchers, as well as truly serious birders. The game has 300 spectacular photographs of birds from across continental United States and Canada. And it was proudly Made in the USA!"

We received about 200 entries in the latest contest and appreciated every one of them. Please stay tuned for our third annual Free Bird Photo Contest in late 2013, and keep enjoying our feathered friends!

Our 2013 Posters

See our posters from previous National Bird Days!

Bird Blogs

In conjunction with National Bird Day 2013, Born Free USA bird experts Barry Kent MacKay and Monica Engebretson took turns writing a weekly blog about bird species of interest:

• The Flasher in the Forest: The American Redstart (Dec. 4, 2012)
• Symbol of Liberty: The Resplendent Quetzal (Dec. 11, 2012)
• National Bird of a Great Little Country: The Clay-Colored Thrush (Dec. 17, 2012)
• Urban Pioneers: Quaker Parakeets (Dec. 24, 2012)
• Swallow-Tailed Kite: America’s Most Gracefully Elegant Bird of Prey (Dec. 31, 2012)
• Lorikeets: Too Appealing for Their Own Good? (Jan. 8, 2013)
• Mute and Trumpeter: A Tale of Two Swans (Jan. 16, 2013)
• Cupid and Kenya: A Tale of Two Lovebirds (Jan. 23, 2013)
• American Woodcock: Gentle, Mysterious, Beautiful (Jan. 31, 2013)

Take Action!

Born Free USA in coordination with the Avian Welfare Coalition (AWC) is calling on activists around the U.S. to take action on behalf of captive birds by drawing attention to the exploitation of other countries' native birds by the U.S. pet industry on Jan. 5 — National Bird Day.

"National Bird Day" is not only a good day to take time to appreciate the native wild birds flying free outside our windows, it is also a perfect time to reflect on how we treat the native birds of other countries. While we have enacted laws to protect our native birds — such as blue jays, cardinals, and crows — from commercial exploitation, we fail to recognize the inconsistency in allowing the pet industry to exploit the birds of other countries.

Even when bred in captivity, exotic birds are not considered domesticated animals, and all their inherent behavioral and physical needs remain intact. Sadly, when it comes to birds, deprivation of their natural behaviors (to fly and flock, for example) is an inescapable component of their captivity.

Each year thousands of birds are sold into the pet trade to individuals who are under the mistaken impression that a bird will make a perfect pet. Eventually, whether due to frustration, disinterest, or concern, many people attempt to rid themselves of the responsibility of caring for their birds. Unfortunately, few of these birds will find a loving home, and most will spend their days isolated and confined to their cages. Others will bounce from home to home as their caretakers tire of them, and some may be abandoned at local shelters and birds rescues, set free to fend for themselves or euthanized.

Next:  10 Things You Can Do to Make Your Bird Happy »