Every year the planet celebrates April 1 as International Bird Day. It appeared in the USA in 1894. Soon this event gained popularity due to media coverage, began to be widely celebrated all across the US, then travelled to Europe, and now it is held in the framework of the biological program of the UNESCO “Man and Biosphere” in many countries worldwide.
The date of celebration was chosen on purpose: this is the time when birds come back from warmer lands. This day children and adults help to maintain the places of birds’ habitat.
Its main provisions are aimed at the protection of all bird species during nesting and habitat change, the continuous protection of bird species on the verge of extinction, the prohibition or restriction of certain types of hunting, the creation of reserves for the reproduction of birds, and environmental education.
Back in the early 20th century, on March 19, 1902, the "International Convention for the Protection of Birds Useful in Agriculture" was adopted, which was signed by more than ten states. It came into force on December 12, 1905. On October 18, 1950, the "International Convention for the Protection of Birds" was signed in Paris, replacing the previous document for most of the participating States.
Bird Day itself is associated with a children's holiday, organized in 1894 by Charles Babcock, a teacher from the small American city of Oil City. He was supported by the newspaper "Pittsburgh Telegraph Chronicle", which began to actively popularize the holiday. Moreover, the newspaper organized a special club-museum for the protection of birds for schoolchildren. Soon, Bird Day became widely celebrated as a national holiday in all states of the country.
