Bird Benefits
Benefits of birds for the environment
Birds are called guardians of nature; Through it, environmental indicators can be identified in an excellent way.
Also, the study of birds helps to understand the general health of ecosystems, and it has an effective role in the performance of multiple ecosystems, and when any type of bird deteriorates , the environment will be exposed to a tragedy and this will greatly affect it, while an explanation of the benefits of birds for the environment follows:
Birds disperse plant seeds
Birds disperse the seeds of plants when traveling, by eating the seeds and then dispersing them in various places through their droppings, and among the birds that perform this task are the imperial pigeons.
The scattering of seeds is one of the most important environmental functions that birds rely on to achieve. This is due to the presence of plant species that depend entirely on birds for their reproduction.
Birds pollinate the flowers
When thinking of flower pollinators, the first thing that is mentioned is bees or butterflies. However, there are types of birds that perform the same task, including: hummingbirds, bee-eaters, and honey-eaters, which are useful for pollination directly. Because it pollinates about 5% of the plants used as human food or medicine, and if it disappears, the results will be unsatisfactory.
Birds rid the environment of pests
Birds maintain the environmental balance by purifying crops from insects harmful to the soil and eliminating rodents and everything that is harmful to crops. This can be considered a natural way to get rid of pests. There is a barn owl that eats more than 11,000 mice in its life, which could have consumed 13,000 kg of crops.
Birds rid the environment of dead animals
Birds are important in maintaining ecosystems; It rid the environment of dead animals, and the eagle was famous for that, which was known for its ability to eat hundreds of kilograms of dead animals on an annual basis.
The dead animals did not constitute food for birds of prey of all kinds only; Pet birds also went towards them to find food for them, by eating the insects that formed on them as lying corpses, and eating them as well.
Birds rid the environment of useless weeds
There is a type of bird that considers some useless weeds to be food for it, and studies have been conducted on this and it has been found that local sparrows in Iowa eat the equivalent of approximately 5,292,000 kg of grass seeds annually.
Bird droppings are an organic fertilizer for the soil
All bird droppings can be considered the most concentrated organic fertilizer; Due to the composition of the elements in it; They are easy to absorb by plants, and birds transfer nutrients from one place to another through their droppings, which contributes to stimulating crop growth and increasing their production.
Bird droppings also contain high levels of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium, each of which is an essential nutrient for plant growth.
Birds preserve natural areas
Birds have an active role in supporting forests and grasslands all over the globe, as they store carbon, maintain climate stability, and make everything polluted nutritious by supplying oxygen to the air, just as the oystercatcher preserves the ropegrass by eating the snails it feeds on. on weeds; Without it, it would have turned into a muddy area.
Birds maintain coral reef life
Seabirds such as swans play a major role in recycling nutrients. They help fertilize marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs, by traveling to feed in the ocean hundreds of kilometers away.
As the seabirds return to their places, they leave layers of highly pure guano (the droppings of seabirds) in their colonies (where they are), and their droppings seep into the ocean to fertilize the coral reefs, and with the passage of time, the coral grasses have thrived compared to the islands infested with mice.
The benefits of birds to humans
Man has known the importance of birds since ancient times. Birds are wonderful and reassuring, and they have various benefits for humans, and the following is an explanation of these benefits:
Birds add joy and pleasure to people’s lives
Birds in general, and ornamental birds with bright, delightful colors and a sweet voice in particular, all have a great role in repairing the psychological state and adjusting the mood, especially when listening to their tweet when waking up from sleep, as they give a feeling of comfort, refreshment, calmness, and joy.
When seeing birds flying in the sky, they inspire optimism and hope in the hearts of people. The splendid beauty of the sparrow, as it flies energetically in a spacious space, revives hope in souls and awakens the repressed faith.
Birds provide a financial resource
Birds are a source of income for many environmental organizations and natural centers that seek to make educational and recreational trips to watch birds, get to know them, and enjoy their creative scenery, and they make good revenues through this process.
For example; The number of birds in the United States is approximately 73 million birds, and $40 billion is spent annually on feeding these birds, purchasing equipment, and traveling to search for birds, generating $82 billion in economic output and employing approximately 671,000 people. and enriching state governments by up to $10 billion.
Birds provide a source of food
Breeding various types of birds such as chickens and pigeons provides an important and essential food source for humans and their health. It is a source of obtaining both meat and eggs, thus providing the body with important nutrients it contains. Bird meat is one of the most important sources of important vitamins for humans.
Asia can also be considered one of the first continents to domesticate chicken, at least 3000 years ago. In the United States, more than 230 million turkeys are consumed during one year.
Birds provide a source for industries
Birds entered the field of industries; The feathers of all kinds of birds, such as pigeons, are used in the manufacture of some pillows and quilts that are characterized by their flexibility, lightness, and the extent of comfort resulting from their use. It relaxes the head and neck while sleeping.
Birds are inspiring in the development of science
Birds play an important role in inspiring the development of science; As the special flight technology possessed by birds led to the invention of clouds, and humans were inspired by birds as a means of air transportation by plane, as all the details of the plane were derived after a deep study of all birds, whether the falcon or the eagle or others, and knowing the mechanism of their flight.
Birds are also used as a means of knowing the health of the planet. They are widespread, and can be considered as a warning system for climate changes, for example, and helped birds form ideas about the theory of evolution through natural selection, which is considered one of the basic mechanisms of evolution.
Humans benefited from birds in ancient times in wars
Birds have special skills that make them useful for armies during wars, as they were used in the First World War in an excellent way, as the dragon bird discovered an enemy plane coming from a distance, while the canary bird was known for the presence of poisonous gases, and there are some birds that followed submarines in search of garbage, like seagulls.
On the other hand, the homing pigeon succeeded in escaping from the missile fire that targeted it, and it carried out its tasks in transmitting messages that enabled the Allies to seize German submarines in the aforementioned war.
