Bird day in Zoo Ostrava
Invitation for all Blackbirds, Finches, Grosbeaks, Hoopoes, and Birds – on Saturday, April 7, Zoo Ostrava will host traditional celebrations of our feathered friends. On this day, those with bird surnames can get discounted zoo tickets and all visitors can look forward to bird-themed program.
The program starts at 10am with a special ornithological tour with the ornithologist Lukáš Jonák. The Ostrava Zoo is located in the Great Ostrava Forest and thanks to the natural character of some of its parts it is also a refuge for a number of wild bird species. Because trees are still leafless, it is relatively easy to observe the birds. Over the past few years, more than two hundred different birdhouses have been installed in the zoo to increase nesting opportunities; also, a number of other bird protection measures have been taken. The ornithological tour starts at the Zoo Education Centre and takes about an hour. For easy observation of birds, we recommend bringing binoculars, field guides and atlases.
From 11am to 4pm, bird-themed activities and competitions will be organized in and outside the Zoo Education Centre, such as listening to bird sounds, recognising bird feathers and bird eggs, exhibition of birdhouses and other bird-related activities.
The International Bird Day has been celebrated on April 1 since 1906, commemorating the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of Useful Birds. Little Owl, a highly endangered species in the Czech Republic, was named the Bird of the Year 2018 by the Czech Ornithological Society. Previously, Little Owl was among the most abundant owl species in the Czech Republic. Over the last decades, however, its population has fallen sharply. Zoo Ostrava is actively involved in the protection of this small owl – since 2003 it has been working with the Bartošovice Rescue Station and Poodří PLA Administration on a project to strengthen the Little Owl population in the wild. By the end of 2017, Zoo Ostrava had provided for free nearly a hundred baby Little Owls reared in the Zoo that have been released into the wild.
Those with bird surnames can traditionally get discounted Zoo tickets on this day. If they present their ID card or another card with a photo, they will get a discounted off-season ticket.
Attached photos and video can be freely used for print, internet and television news; photo by Sylva Firlová and Zoo Ostrava archive; video by Enrico Gombala