Today is International Vulture Awareness day! Zoos, conservation organizations and other groups around the world are celebrating vultures this weekend. Vultures serve a very important role in the world's ecosystem. By removing dead animal remains these scavenging birds clean up the environment and help prevent diseases from spreading.

Unfortunately, most of the 23 vulture species that can be found around the world are endangered. Threats include habitat loss, changes in livestock management, persecution, and hunting. Show your support for these amazing creatures by attending one of this weekend's many Vulture Day events around the world and support a vulture conservation organization in your area. Check the official IVAD website for a list of all participating organizations.

Go out and celebrate vultures today! ... or print our vulture coloring pages and stay home for some cute vulture coloring fun.

We're celebrating Vulture Week because this Saturday, September 5th, marks International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD). This commemorative day has been celebrated since at least 2009 and aims to highlight the importance of vultures and vulture conservation through education.

Zoos, conservation organizations and other groups around the world will be celebrating vultures this weekend, marking International Vulture Awareness Day on September 5th. Here are just a few of the spots that will be having public events in honor of the day:

The Mountsberg Raptor Centre in Campbellville, Ontario will celebrate the day with special programs. The event will feature two resident Turkey Vultures named Casey and Buzz. Visitors may also find some Birdorable-related vulture fun and free activities during the Centre's event!

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado will celebrate IVAD with plenty of special events, including vulture feedings, a giant game of vulture-themed Jenga, vulture sock puppets, and much more!

The Friends of Blouberg Nature Reserve group in South Africa will have vulture lectures, a vulture-themed treasure hunt, and vulture breeding colony viewing.

The Avifauna Bird Park in the Netherlands will celebrate IVAD on both Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th. Watch vulture feedings and see a special bird show. There will also be activites for kids.

Lehigh Valley Zoo in Pennsylvania will honor vultures with events on IVAD, including vulture programs, keeper talks, and a resident Black Vulture.

The Edinburgh Zoo in the United Kingdom will celebrate IVAD with special vulture talks, a flight show featuring Turkey Vultures, and storytelling sessions.

The Birmingham Zoo in Alabama invites guests to celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day with them. Learn learn about vulture conservation and how important these birds are to our ecosystem. Events for the day include a scavenger hunt and special Keeper Chats.

The Raptors in Canada will celebrate IVAD on Saturday and Sunday. They will have flying demonstrations with vultures and specially themed vulture talks. Fundraising at the event will raise moneyfor the Peregrine Fund and a local rescue organization.

The AGFC Delta Rivers Nature Center in Arkansas will have a special vulture presentation, which will include a flying demonstration with their resident Black Vulture.

The Cascades Raptor Center in Oregon invites visitors to meet their resident Turkey Vultures on International Vulture Awareness Day. They will also have special activities for guests related to vultures.

These are just a few of the organizations that invite the public to visit and celebrate vultures. Find a complete list of participating groups here. Because the information here may be updated infrequently, be sure to contact any organzation prior to your visit to verify event timing and activities.

Join us all week long as we highlight the world's vulture species leading up to International Vulture Awareness Day on Saturday!

Are you looking for a fun and easy things for guests to do at your nature center? Our cute Birdorable bird coloring pages can be the basis for a fun and free activity. We have over 100 different coloring pages available -- and they are all free to download.

We found some of our Eastern Screech Owl pages being put to good use during a recent visit to the Green Cay Nature Center in south Florida. Green Cay has a gorgeous little animal ambassador named Oliver. Oliver is unreleaseable due to injuries he sustained in a collision with a car. In addition to cute souvenir t-shirts bearing Oliver's image, the nature center was offering coloring pages featuring our cute Birdorable version of the Eastern Screech Owl. Here's a photo of Oliver on his perch, surrounded by completed coloring page masterpieces from visiting children.

Check out all of our coloring pages here: Free Birdorable Coloring Pages

Earlier this year we were asked by quilter Kate C. if she could use our cute Scarlet Macaw illustration as an inspiration for part of a quilt she was making for her granddaughter. We kindly agreed! Kate send us this photo of the macaw in the finished quilt. Isn't that cute?!

Thank you, Kate!

Some Birdorable wetland species are coming soon to the brand new Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre (PDF) in County Kerry, Ireland. A tracing table designed by WWT Consulting will feature Birdorable birds to inspire young artists. Hopefully we'll have more photos to share with you when the centre opens around Easter, but in the meantime here are some sneak peak pictures!

Back in the spring we were asked by an artist for permission to use a few of our Birdorable images in a client project. We happily obliged!

Quilting-Mural-Making Mom Me artist Jennilyn was inspired by our Northern Cardinal, Common Raven, and Baltimore Oriole and included them in a custom bedroom wall painting. We think it looks great!

We at Birdorable are proud to have provided use of our cute Andean Cock-of-the-rock image to The Field Museum's 24th rapid inventory team that traveled to the Kampankis mountains of Peru this summer. A few months ago, we were kindly contacted by one of the conservation biologists working on the survey. We were asked if our Andean Cock-of-the-rock could be used for the team's t-shirt, and we were happy to comply! The survey was done in northern Peru, in an area where Andean Cocks-of-the-rock are abundant. Below is a photo of some of the team members when they recently arrived in Tarapoto after the survey. If you look closely, you'll find at least five Birdorables in the photo!

These surveys are huge team efforts and entail adventure and discovery. For example, the above photograph was taken during an earthquake after a multi-day weather delay. If you'd like to learn more about the high adventure and about the fascinating work done during the rapid survey of the Kampankis mountains, check out the rapid inventories of remote regions blog.

Earlier this year, teacher Danielle asked us if we could provide her with images of our Birdorable birds to use in her classroom at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. Of course we were happy to oblige! The class is using a Birdorable bird for each letter of the alphabet. The birds are used to decorate the "Brainy Birds" classroom. A Resplendent Quetzal welcomed the students to the class at the start of the school year.

Colorful Birdorable birds placed on the floor with contact paper help the students to stand together in a proper line.

Here the students show the Scarlet Macaw representing the letter S.

Thank you Danielle - for asking to use our birds in your classroom and for sharing these photos with us!

Check out this beautiful tree put together by Peter, a Boy Scout in Utah. Peter's tree is totally bird themed, from the birdy ornaments hanging from the boughs to the Cardinal tree-topper and the awesome spread of birder goodies under the tree! I see birdhouses, bird field guides, even a spotting scope! And I hear there are a few Birdorable ornaments on the tree, too.

Peter's tree is now showing at the Festival of Trees in Sandy, Utah. The festival runs through December 5th and includes more than 800 decorated trees. The show benefits the Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City. Thanks for sharing photos of your cool Birdwatcher Tree with us, Peter!

Michelle is wearing a Birdorable Rose-ringed Parakeet performance jacket. She sent us the following message:

"I just wanted to send you a note and let you know that my mom ordered the Indian Ringneck performance jacket for me for Christmas and it is WONDERFUL!!!!! I love it! I also manage an exotic parrot store and am wearing it to the store!"

Thank you Michelle for your kind words and sending us this nice photo.