New "Spooky Bird" Contest!
Contest to help debunk myths about bird behavior
 Ithaca, NY--Halloween is just a few weeks away, so the latest environmental challenge from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Celebrate Urban Birds citizen-science project is taking an eerie approach. The contest is called "A Murder of Crows and Other Spooky Bird Tales" and is co-sponsored by the Encyclopedia of Life website.
“Believe it or not, a large group of crows is called a "murder," says project leader Karen Purcell, “But there’s nothing really scary about it. Crows are very intelligent, family-oriented birds. With this challenge, we really want to see what spooks people about birds. Then we can reveal what the behaviors are really all about. There’s usually a perfectly natural, non-scary explanation!”
 For the challenge, participants can take photos, do a painting, write a story or poem, even shoot a video showing birds doing something puzzling or strange to them. It may be a crow, starling, owl, pigeon, or any other type of bird.
“We've had two other environmental challenges so far this year and have received thousands of great entries,” says project leader Karen Purcell. “It always amazes me how creative people are and how they've been able to incorporate the birds they find right in their neighborhoods.”
Prizes include binoculars from Eagle Optics and Alpen, birdfeeders from YourBirdOasis.com, CDs, books, posters, and more. The first 50 entrants will receive a poster by Pedro Fernandez showing a variety of crow, jay, and other bird behaviors. Selected images and videos will be posted on the Celebrate Urban Birds website. The very best will be included in species accounts for the Encyclopedia of Life website.
How do you enter?
Email your entry to urbanbirds@cornell.edu.
1. Write "AMOC_YourFirstNameLastName_state" in the subject line. (Use the two-letter abbreviation for the state in which the photo was taken.)
2. Include your name and mailing address in the body of the email.
3. Tell us why you submitted your entry to the Murder of Crows challenge. What's the story behind it?
4. If you are sending a visual image, attach it as a .jpg
5. One image per entry, please.
6. Read terms of agreement.
7. If you agree to the terms, send us your entry before October 31!
Deadline for entries is Halloween: October 31!
Visit the Celebrate Urban Birds website for more information and to read the terms of agreement regarding all entries. A PDF flier about the contest is also attached to this news release.
Contact: Karen Purcell, Project Leader, (607) 254-2455, urbanbirds@cornell.edu
Crow art by Pedro Fernandez. Long-eared Owl by Ted Schroeder.
| The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Lab’s web site at www.birds.cornell.edu. Encyclopedia of Life is a collaborative effort, involving scientists, research organizations and the general public to provide free, comprehensive information about all known species of plants, animals and microorganisms. To learn more about your favorite species, please visit www.eol.org.
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