KIDS FOR CONSERVATION
Bird BONANZA!
Did you know there are about
10,000 different types of birds in
the world?
Birds come in all sizes: from the
two-inch Bee Hummingbird to the
nine-foot ostrich. All birds have
feathers as a body covering; they
all lay eggs; and the shape of their
beak helps them eat all kinds of
food. You can find birds on every
continent — even the frozen terrain
of Antarctica!
There are many feathered friends,
big and small, even in your own
backyard like northern cardinals,
red-shouldered hawks and Canada
geese! We have over 350 species of
birds in Kentucky and approximately
200 of those 350 species stop by
during their migration journey.
This summer, grab a bird identification guide, get outdoors with
your binoculars and see how many
different species you can identify in
your own backyard or local park.
List the bird species and where you
saw them — and invite your friends
to join in! Then, compare your lists.
To attract more birds to your
own backyard, try planting native
wildflowers like purple coneflowers, bee balm and trumpet creeper.
Birds can always use our help as
good stewards of the earth. Make
sure to help your new bird friends
with a birdbath for a fresh source
of water — just be sure to clean the
water regularly to rid it of mosquito
eggs. Once you start getting many
bird visitors, you may even want to
install a birdhouse or bird feeder. Be
sure to check out the next Backyard Action Hero magazine to learn
more about what you can do to
help your city ecosystem!
Don’t forget, in almost every
area at the Zoo you can also see
many different birds — from cranes,
lorikeets and flamingos to snowy
owls, emus and more! Our newest
residents are little penguins from
Australia. You can find them in
our new Penguin Cove exhibit in
the Islands zone! See page 12 for
more details about Penguin Cove.
You also won’t want to miss the
new Wings of the World “Free
Flight” Bird Show happening on
our MetaZoo stage this summer.
See page 16 for more details. This
show highlights some of the world’s
endangered bird species performing amazing bird behaviors. It’s sure
to make your new appreciation for
birds take wing!
INSIDE YOUR ZOO
Lorikeet Landing is getting a brand
new green roof in 2016! Green roofs
are great for the environment because
they improve air quality, reduce smog,
prevent water run off, help energy
conservation and they provide valuable
habitat for wildlife.
From the
MAYOR
The
beautiful
natural settings and wildlife
found at the Louisville Zoo
remind us of our personal responsibility for protecting our
environment. Backyard Action
Hero Day helps educate your
youngest Louisvillians about
conservation and stewardship,
making it an ideal time to visit
the Zoo and to reflect on our
place in the balance of our city
ecosystem. A strong ecosystem means a healthier city,
and it shows of compassion
for our animal friends. In Louisville, we’re taking steps to
address long-term issues such
as water management and the
dangerous urban heat island
effect. One example is the Air
Louisville project, launched last
year to assist in the wellness
of our environment and our
citizens. It connects citywide
air monitoring with advanced
sensors that signal when and
where asthma patients are
taking their medications