The return of migrating birds to New Hampshire has led me to reflect on their importance to the environments they reside in. There are wide varieties of bird species in most regions on Earth, which allows birds to perform many activities that help bring about ecological balance wherever they are. Beyond their environmental impacts, birds directly benefit humans in quite a few ways as well. Let’s talk about a few of the many reasons why birds are so important.
Many birds eat fruits and seeds. By nature, birds also fly to new areas quite often. When they travel to new locations after eating fruits or while carrying seeds and nuts, seeds can be brought with them via bird droppings or simply by falling while the bird is carrying them. This allows plants to spread to new areas much quicker than they would without birds, as other animals generally don’t travel as far or as quickly as birds. This also helps with the process of returning plants to areas where natural disasters like wildfires occur. In a similar vein, birds are also important for cycling nutrients in many different ecosystems. Bird droppings contain a number of chemicals that are important for plant growth, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Not only do birds move the plants to new locations, but they also help them grow!
In addition to fruits and seeds, many birds eat insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, and even other birds. Without bird predators, these populations would have the potential to explode and consume a significant amount of resources to the point that the rest of the ecosystems they’re a part of could be negatively impacted. Many of the animals birds eat are considered agricultural pests as well, so their diets can save farmers hundreds of dollars per acre in pest control costs. Birds can also act as prey for larger predators as well, supplementing the diets of animals like coyotes, snakes, and other larger birds, which helps sustain their populations.
Did you know that there are over 900 different species of birds that pollinate plants? That’s a whole lot more than the few usual suspects like hummingbirds and honeyeaters that get brought up when discussing bird pollination! This is incredibly important because in order for most flowering plants to generate seeds used for reproduction, they must be pollinated. Birds have a special role in carrying out this pollination too; while most pollinator insects are attracted to flowers that give off some kind of odor, birds are generally attracted to flowers based on their bright colors, meaning odorless flowers still have a good chance of being pollinated by birds even if they’re passed over by insects. Some plants are actually exclusively pollinated by birds. Not only is this pollination important for wild flowers, but many crops require pollination as well, so birds help us stay well-fed.
Birds also act as part of nature’s clean-up crew. There are many different vultures, eagles, and corvids that act as scavengers. When an animal dies, it slowly gets broken down by microorganisms. During this slow decomposition, the animal’s body becomes a great host for all sorts of disease-causing organisms. Fortunately, many bird scavengers will find decomposing bodies fairly quickly, reducing the risk of outbreaks of disease. Some birds have even evolved and adapted to reduce the risk of infection while scavenging. For example, turkey vultures have a bald patch on their heads that prevents meat from getting caught up in their feathers while eating. They’ll also urinate on their legs, which kills bacteria that might get on the vulture while it’s scavenging.
Beyond all this, birds have many niche roles in nature that other species have thrived around. As mentioned earlier, some plants are pollinated exclusively by birds. Woodpeckers carve out holes that many other birds and small mammals use as their homes. Dodos were one of the few animals whose digestive systems could break down the outer coating of the tambalacoque tree seed. When the dodo went extinct, tambalacoque tree populations plummeted as well. In many cases around the world, if bird populations are impacted, so too are the populations of other species in the same ecosystem.
Because of all these important roles birds serve and their close interactions with all sorts of different plants and animals, birds can also serve as accurate bioindicators in many ecosystems. A bioindicator is an organism whose condition in a given environment can serve as an indication of the rest of that environment’s overall health. So if bird populations decline in an area where they’ve been established as a reliable bioindicator, it is likely that populations of other species in the same area will decline or already have declined. The opposite holds true as well; if a previously damaged habitat is suddenly seeing a return in birds that serve as bioindicators, there are good chances that restoration efforts in that habitat are working well.
In addition to all these important environmental services, birds also directly help humanity in a number of different ways. Our understanding of flight was directly inspired by birds, and the beaks of kingfishers served as the inspiration for aerodynamic noses of certain trains. Feathers are used in all sorts of different products, from pillows to arrows to pens. Birds have been used by humans to hunt prey, deliver messages, and even guide people to honey. Chickens are arguably one of the most important domesticated animals in existence thanks to their ability to lay eggs daily for human consumption. And of course, birds have served as a source of cultural inspiration for all sorts of songs, stories, paintings, movies, poems, sports teams, and so much more.
I think this writeup really just scratched the surface of why birds are so important. Because of all the things they do for us, it might be worth considering giving back a little bit to birds. Growing native plants, putting up birdhouses, keeping cats away from birds, avoiding pesticides, and spreading the word about birds are just a few of the ways you can help them out. I’d highly recommend learning more about the birds in your area. For me, it’s been a fulfilling experience that has helped me gain a deep appreciation for our feathered friends and an introductory understanding about just how much they really do for the world.
We appreciate that Dan is always looking for ways to expand on his experiences in conservation at every opportunity, especially when it comes to birds (look out Audubon!) . Learn more about Dan here!