Why Are Birds Important to the Environment?

Why Are Birds Important to the Environment?

Birds are magnificent creatures and full of grace and beauty. They are a huge source of inspiration for many, including notable personalities like the Wright Brothers. Wright Brothers invented the first airplane because of Birds. Birds also nurture the environment around them and are crucial in the proper balancing of the ecosystem. Let us find out more about why birds are important to the environment.
  

Why Are Birds Important?

Birds help in many ways. Let us discuss how do birds help the environment in detail.

Bird Droppings Are Useful for Plant Growth

The correct term for bird droppings is “guano”. For most people, bird droppings are a form of nuisance. For some, it’s a sign from the universe that something wonderful is about to happen! The truth is that something wonderful does happen, but not in the way one might expect.

Bird droppings consist of many plant nutrients; such as nitrogen and phosphorous. Bird droppings are beneficial for plant growth. These nutrients make great fertilizers, as they increase the quality of soil and its water holding capacity.

A common misconception is that tossing lots of bird guano into the soil will make it rich in quality. That’s not true, and instead may be counter productive. Composting the guano before adding it to the soil is the best way to make use of the droppings.

Coral Reef Growth

Seabird’s guano is more useful than other birds. They produce comparatively larger amounts of guano than other birds. These droppings land in water bodies and run into coral reef systems. Coral reefs are spread across the globe, with very few nutrients deposited in them. Bird droppings, being rich in nutrients, help in fertilizing the coral reefs. Therefore, Birds help the environment in many amazing ways.

Birds Help in Pest Control

Let’s look at some data to understand better why birds are important in pest control:

  1. Birds reduced corn insect pests by 34–98% in various studies.
  2. It has been confirmed that birds reduce 20–26% of grasshoppers in crops, according to some reports.
  3. Releasing wild falcons in New Zealand vineyards led to decreasing pest bird damage. This resulted in massive amounts of savings of grapes and red wine.
  4. A workplace in-charge of keeping levees structurally sound, reported substantially less damage from ground squirrels and gophers in areas with Barn Owl nest boxes and raptor perches, than in areas treated with rodenticides.
  5. Birds are massive consumers of insects and other havoc causing pest animals. Studies have shown that birds eat as many as 4,50,000 kilograms of bugs in a single year. Beneficial birds assist with crop production in an eco-friendly manner, unlike artificial substitutes such as pesticides.

If we give them shelter and some food, birds boost their free of charge pest control services! Some birds act beneficially or as pests, but species switch roles depending on the season and food sources available.




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