April 1 — International Bird Day: history, traditions, interesting facts

International Bird Day is celebrated annually on April 1 in Russia and other countries, dedicated to the protection and maintenance of the species diversity of birds. In 2025, it falls on a Tuesday. Izvestia tells about the history of the holiday and shares interesting facts about the "culprits of the celebration."

International Bird Day in 2025 — the history of the holiday

According to the most common version, International Bird Day was first celebrated in 1894 in the United States. It was originally conceived as a children's holiday, and Charles Babcock, a teacher from the small town of Oil City, conducted it for his students. The initiative of the teacher was supported by the newspaper "Pittsburgh Telegraphic Chronicle". Subsequently, the publishing house even created a club-museum for the protection of birds for schoolchildren. People began to take interest in the unusual holiday in neighboring cities, then in the states, and then in other countries.

At the beginning of the 20th century, International Bird Day reached Russia and was warmly received by both scientists and ordinary people. At that time, several dozen environmental organizations were already operating in our country, including those involved in the protection of birds: the Ornithological Committee of the Russian Society for the Acclimatization of Animals and Plants, the Russian Society for the Protection of Animals, and others.

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The so—called May Unions were created in schools - children's associations for the study of birds. The young participants of these ornithological circles wore hats with an emblem in the form of a flying swallow. In 1910, teacher Peter Buzuk from the village of Khortytsia created the country's first Conservation Society, which began to centrally feed birds and create nesting sites for them.

After the 1917 revolution, the May unions were abolished, and associations of young naturalists took over the care of birds. In the summer of 1924, at the first and only All-Union Congress, Nikolai Dergunov, a teacher at the Central Biological Station, proposed celebrating Bird Day across the country. Two years later, the holiday was officially added to the calendar.

Bird Day was actively celebrated until the 1940s. Every year, tens of thousands of schoolchildren took to the streets to hold clean-up days and hang birdhouses. During the Great Patriotic War, the celebration stopped, but in the 1950s it resumed on an even larger scale.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the popularity of Bird Day gradually faded, and the holiday was almost forgotten. It was revived in 1999 on the initiative of the Union for the Protection of Birds.

Traditions for International Bird Day on April 1, 2025

Educational events and environmental actions are traditionally held in honor of the International Bird Day. Ornithologists and animal rights activists organize lectures and seminars on birds and ways to preserve their natural habitat. Thematic classes are held in schools and kindergartens, during which children learn about the birds of their region. Natural science museums are preparing exhibitions, presentations, quizzes and master classes dedicated to the "heroes of the occasion".

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On the holiday, people also go out on clean-up days to clean parks, reservoirs and forest areas where birds often nest from garbage. Parents and children make birdhouses and feeders, providing birds with shelter and food.

Interesting facts about birds

In honor of the holiday, Izvestia collected some interesting facts about birds.

Despite the fact that the body temperature of birds is on average 4-6 degrees higher than human (about 40-43 degrees), birds do not sweat. The fact is that they do not have sweat glands, and the body cools down due to the respiratory system.

For a long time, scientists believed that birds could not be poisonous. However, in 1989, researchers working in the forests of New Guinea noticed that the scratches left by blackbird flycatchers were itchy, and those who licked the wounds were numb lips. It turned out that the feathers and skin of these birds contain a strong toxin. Subsequently, other venomous birds were discovered on the island. All of them belong to passively venomous animals, that is, dangerous substances are not synthesized in their body, but accumulate in it due to the peculiarities of nutrition. Touching such birds is not dangerous for humans, but eating them can have serious consequences.

Owls have always symbolized wisdom, but scientists do not consider them to be the smartest birds. They are much inferior to crows in their ability to adapt to new conditions and solve non-standard tasks. These birds know how to use tools, raise their chicks together, and even understand the principle of equal exchange. During the experiment, scientists "traded" with crows, while some offered low—quality items to "buyers", while others offered high-quality items. Birds preferred to trade with those who had high-quality "goods".

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the history and traditions of the International Day of Forests.