National Bird Day has been celebrated for over a decade now. It was set up to fall on January 5th to coincide with the annual Christmas Bird Count. This bird count is one of the longest-running citizen science surveys in the world and helps to keep an eye on the health of the United States’ birds. The Christmas Bird Count lasts three weeks and focuses on native bird populations. On January 5th, the well-being of captive birds is honored as well.