Draw a Picture of a Bird Day

Draw a Picture of a Bird Day is April 8

Love to draw? Love birds? Draw a Picture of a Bird Day is the holiday for you! This holiday, celebrated each year on April 8th, is a day dedicated to artists and bird lovers. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, if you like to draw then today is a day to draw a picture of one of the best animals; the bird! So grab a pencil, grab a piece of paper, and start drawing! Be sure to sign your work after you’re finished too. It may be worth millions one day.

Origins of Draw a Picture of a Bird Day

In 1943, a 7 year old girl in England named Dorie Cooper went to a hospital to visit her uncle who was wounded in World War II. While her and her mother were at the hospital they did their best to cheer up her uncle who had lost his right leg to a land mine. Even though he was upset, Dorie asked her uncle to draw her a picture of a bird. Her uncle did as she asked and looked outside and drew a picture of a robin for her. After Dorie was handed the picture, she laughed out loud and told her uncle that he was not a very good artist. She still decided to hang the picture in her room despite this. Her uncle admired her honesty and acceptance and he began to feel better. Other wounded soldiers who had observed the event enjoyed the exchange and began to feel their spirits lift. Every time that Dorie came to visit afterwards, all the soldiers in that wing would have drawing contests to see who could draw the best bird. Soon the entire ward’s walls were decorated by bird drawings. 3 years later, Dorie was hit by a car and did not survive the incident. At her funeral, her coffin was covered and filled with the bird drawings that had been made by the soldiers, doctors, and nurses that had been in the wing where her uncle was staying. Since then, the men and women of that wing have celebrated and remembered Dorie by drawing pictures of birds on her birthday, April 8th, each year. 

Draw a Picture of a Bird Day was never declared an official holiday but it was celebrated each year by the soldiers and medical staff who knew her. Today it has grown to be celebrated world wide as a way to express joy in the simplest of things. It is also a way to help soldiers forget war and their own pain for a short time. 

How do I celebrate?

This holiday requires the simplest of celebrations. Just draw a bird and share it with whomever you wish to see it. You can also send it to the official Draw a Bird Day website where it can be admired by many! The important thing is to just enjoy yourself drawing birds and sharing them.