More than half can't name three of UK's most common garden species
72% do not know a group of crows is known collectively as a 'murder'
17% unaware that black-headed gull is one of most common seabirds
Poll commissioners say children are 'more interested in watching TV'
PUBLISHED: 09:34, 18 January 2016 | UPDATED: 10:49, 18 January 2016
One in four primary school children cannot identify a blackbird or robin red breast, a poll has found.
More than half are unable to name three of Britain’s most common garden species – the great tit, starling and chaffinch – while a third of six to ten-year-olds have never fed a bird at home.
Some 72 per cent do not know that a group of crows is known collectively as a ‘murder’, while 17 per cent are unaware that the black-headed gull is one of the most common seabirds in Britain.
Two in five children say they have never seen an owl in real life, while a similar proportion could not identifiy a common sparrow when shown its picture, according to the study for retail chain Wilko.
Neil Fairhurst, pets buyer for Wilko, told the Daily Mirror: ‘Children’s knowledge of the natural world seems to be getting worse each generation.
‘They seem more interested in watching TV and playing computer games than getting out to enjoy the incredible nature and wildlife available to them.’
And a spokesman for the RSPCA, which is asking families to feed wild birds in their gardens, said: ‘As the weather turns colder it is important to think about what we can do to help our animal friends.
‘It is important to preserve the wild bird population of this country and giving them a helping hand in finding food as the weather gets colder is a great way to start.
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