Children name a bird on television easier than one in bush
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Schoolchildren are unable to identify birds unless they feature in television and logos, research has found.
Schoolchildren are unable to identify birds unless they feature in television and logos, research has found.
While they picked puffins and woodpeckers - possibly due to the publishing house Puffin and the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker - they were baffled by the common blackbird, the house sparrow and the starling, the study released yesterday by Newcastle University showed.
Each of the 200 children surveyedcould identify the robin (mainly from its appearance on Christmas cards), but the blackbird was identifiable to only half of the children. Hardly any could identify species such as the curlew, goldfinch, oystercatcher or golden plover.
None of the children under 10 was able to identify the kestrel, although it was familiar to more than half of the 16-year-olds - possibly because of its use by the lager brand Kestrel.
Professor Stewart Evans said the decline in practical ecology in education and the "failure of scientists to communicate effectively with ... society" contributed to children's inability to recognise birds that did not feature on television.
"We seem to be producing a public that is environmentally illiterate at a time when environmental issues figure high," he said.
"It is unrealistic to expect people to care for the local environment if they are unaware of the organisms that live in it."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments