Fly out for the fun with Bird Awareness Day on Saturday, May 3, a full morning of family-friendly activities.

 

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is excited to launch another season of its popular Animal Awareness Days starting with a celebration that’s all about birds!

 

Bird and nature enthusiasts alike are invited to participate in the Oklahoma City Zoo’s Bird Awareness Day activities on Saturday, May 3 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Guests will enjoy meeting and hearing from the OKC Zoo’s avian experts about the birds in their care as well as Oklahoma’s native species, and the everyday actions that can be taken to help wild birds and their habitats. Discover interactive education stations, special animal enrichment activities, caretaker chats, and a digital scavenger safari throughout Raptor Ridge, Lakeside Grottos, and the Children’s Zoo presented by Primrose Schools—all part of the morning’s activities, free with regular Zoo admission. Plus, there will be free samples of Bird Friendly Coffee® available in the Zoo’s Safari Gift shop during the event.

 

All guests will receive a free water bottle courtesy of Shape Your Future, a program of TSET, while supplies last. Water bottles will be given away as guests enter the park.

 

“We’re looking forward to celebrating and connecting people to the birds that call the Zoo and Oklahoma home, and sharing about the importance of protecting them,” said Holly Ray, OKC Zoo’s Curator of Birds. “Birds are vital to keeping our world healthy and their future depends on us. Making changes to our daily lives is the best way to have a positive impact on birds, and we’re hopeful fans attending this event will be inspired to put what they learn into action for birds and nature.”

 

Bird conservation has long been woven into the OKC Zoo’s mission. Together with the Oklahoma Animal Coalition, the Zoo recently helped launch a communications campaign, LIGHTS OUT OKLAHOMA, to raise awareness for migratory birds. Individuals and businesses are encouraged to turn off or dim non-essential lights from the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. during the spring and fall migration seasons. The Zoo has also provided funds and staff support to the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville to complete a new five-year Oklahoma Breeding Bird Atlas. This atlas is a valuable resource for researchers and policy makers at state and national levels presenting insight about bird population trends, ensuring conservation efforts are as effective as can be. Making a conservation impact beyond Oklahoma, the Zoo supports the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Saving Animals from Extinction: SAFE program for North American Songbirds and has contributed $2,500 to safeguard migratory songbirds across the continent.

 

North American bird populations are declining at an alarming rate, dropping almost 30% in the last 55 years. That’s a loss of about three billion birds across almost all habitats. Contributing factors for population decline include habitat loss, building collisions, and predation from domesticated cats. A global threat to birds is the exotic pet trade. Annually millions of live birds are traded illegally and sold into the live pet trade, a process that most animals do not survive. The OKC Zoo supports AZA’s Not a Pet campaign aimed to educate people about what animals make good pets.

 

Join the OKC Zoo for this year’s Animal Awareness Days occurring on the first Saturday of each month through October. The animal focuses and event dates include:

 

  • June 7: World Giraffe Day
  • July 5: International Cat Day
  • August 2: World Elephant Day 
  • September 6: World Primate Day
  • October 4: Native Species Day

 

The Oklahoma City Zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry no later than 4 p.m. Purchase advance tickets for general admission at www.okczoo.org/tickets.  Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the OKC Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, Oklahoma City’s Adventure District and an Adventure Road partner. Regular admission is $20 for adults and $17 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free.

 

Stay in the know by following the OKC Zoo on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Linktree and TikTok, and by visiting our blog stories. Zoo more with a ZOOfriends membership! As a ZOOfriends member of the Oklahoma City Zoo, enjoy free admission for 12-months, plus additional benefits and discounts. You will also be supporting the Zoo’s animal family, education programming, and conservation initiatives both locally and globally. Join or renew today at www.okczoo.org/membership.