Migratory songbird seminar planned at Myriad Botanical Gardens

(March 31, 2006) – Take a flight of fancy with the Myriad Botanical Gardens by registering for a Migratory Songbird seminar at 10 a.m. on April 8 in the Gardens' Dean A. McGee Center.

The seminar will be led by Wildlife Biologist Mark Howery from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Admission is $6, which includes admission to the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory. For reservations, call 297-3996 by April 6.

Songbirds, both resident and migratory, can carry more than a tune. Their beautiful songs and calls are due to elaborate and well-developed vocal organs, called a syrinx, says Howery. This is comparable to the larynx in humans. Robins, cardinals, chickadees and mocking birds are examples of singing birds found in Oklahoma.

“We get a surprising number of unique migratory birds each spring,” says Janet Latham, a horticulturalist at the Myriad Botanical Gardens, about the number of songbirds alighting in the Gardens.

Each spring, a colorful array of birds takes to the sky as part of their yearly migration to and from the tropics, many of them passing through Oklahoma on their way, such as the scissor-tailed flycatcher, the state bird, says Howery.

Although many of these beautiful songbirds breed in North America, the cold winter months push them to follow their food and fly to the tropics of Central and South America. Birds that rely on insects fly south while birds that prefer seed stay put for the winter. Some birds, such as the robin and mockingbird, change their diet depending on the time of year.

Of the 180 species of breeding birds that reside in Oklahoma, over 60 migrate each winter. Many migratory birds winter in the rainforests of the Amazon, which Howery will discuss in conjunction with Project Amazonia, a new exhibit at the Crystal Bridge. The common nighthawk, scarlet tanger, cliff swallow and northern oriole are just a few examples of such migratory songbirds.

The Myriad Botanical Gardens is located at Reno and Robinson in downtown Oklahoma City. Crystal Bridge hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students and $3 for children 4 to 12. Admission to the outdoor grounds is free. Call 297-3995 for information or visit www.myriadgardens.com.