Birds are one of the most widely distributed and vibrant animal groups in nature. Nowadays, the number of existing bird species in the world is still increasing, with over 10000 species living with us on this beautiful planet. Birds exhibit incredible diversity in behavior and appearance. Novelist Jonathan Franzen once said, “If you can see every bird in the world, then you will see the whole world”
Geospiza difficilis
When hunting, birds can be hunters, gatherers, or scavengers. The food of different birds varies: nectar, fruits, seeds, insects, amphibians, fish, small reptiles, mammals, other birds, carcasses, and even blood. The wide range of bird recipes is astonishing.
Birds are masters of flight: some birds migrate thousands of miles every year: the Arctic Tern is the most migratory animal on Earth. According to a team of scientists, the migration distance of the Arctic Tern from the Farne Islands in Northumberland, UK is the longest in the world, from its breeding grounds to Antarctica and back, which takes 59650 miles, more than twice the circumference of the Earth. Some birds, such as ostriches and penguins, have completely lost their ability to fly.
The rich diversity of birds makes them play a very important role in ecosystems. In many ecological evaluation projects, the number, species, and stability of birds in the system are very important indicators. A good ecosystem can enable humans to gain more benefits from nature, and birds are key participants in providing many of these benefits.
The ecosystem services provided by birds can be roughly divided into four categories: Supply function,
Ecological regulation function,Material circulation function and other functions.
Supply function: We can extract many substances from birds in the natural environment that can be used as “commodities”. For example, wild birds are (or have been) a source of human food, as well as a source of down and fertilizer. In the 18th century, collecting seabird excrement (a mixture of urine and feces) for use as fertilizer became a thriving industry, but in the 19th century, with the development of synthetic fertilizer production technology, people gradually phased out this industry.
Ecological regulation function: The ecological regulation function of birds includes pollinating plants, clearing animal carcasses, controlling the population size of “pests”, and spreading seeds. Birds have reduced the destructive effects of various harmful organisms. There are two examples that illustrate this point: the impact of consuming spruce sprouts and raptors by songbirds on rodents:
The spruce bud worm is a moth larva of the genus Choristoneura. These caterpillars are a highly destructive forestry pest that feeds on fir and spruce trees. They can cause trees to shed their leaves and sometimes even lead to tree death, resulting in widespread economic losses.
Rodents such as mice are important prey for raptors, and rodents feed on various crops. The barn owl will eat about 11000 mice in its lifetime, and these mice can consume 13 tons of crops. The average lifespan of owls is 4 years, and they need to hunt 2750 mice per year. Obviously, a healthy and stable population of raptors can have a suppressive effect on the population of rodents.
Although the role of birds as pollinators is minimal, only 3-5% of 1500 important economic crops and medicinal plants are pollinated by birds; But birds are extremely important as seed spreaders.
To avoid resource competition with the parent tree, it is usually advantageous for seeds to “escape” from the immediate vicinity of the parent plant before germination. The birth of fleshy fruits (such as berries) is a strategy evolved by plants to spread seeds, which can drive animals to accomplish this important task. In short, fruits are like plants bribing birds. Nutritious fruit pulp attracts birds to consume, and as long as the seeds are not crushed during consumption, they can pass through the bird’s intestines unscathed and spread out with feces. Birds are excellent seed spreaders: they have no teeth, often swallow whole food, and they typically move a long distance between their foraging and resting (defecation) areas.
Arachnothera magna that can pollinate plants
Vultures and other scavengers play a crucial role in the decomposition of environmental substances. When animals die intact (due to illness, drowning, etc.), their skin becomes thick or hard, and it is necessary for carrion birds with strong beaks to “open” the body for cleaning. Carnivorous birds consuming carrion from the natural environment can help limit the spread of diseases.
Material circulation function: The material cycle and soil formation are closely related to birds. The number of birds on this beautiful planet is very abundant, but we may never be able to accurately calculate the number of birds on Earth. Currently, it is estimated that this number is between 200 billion and 400 billion. Due to their large population, birds are important participants in ecosystem processes and functions.
They consume billions of tons of food every year and convert it into simpler ingredients. These ‘wastes’ will enter the material cycle system of the environment and be further digested and decomposed, ultimately being absorbed by plants as soil nutrients. The feathers and inedible components left behind by bird metamorphosis (such as seed shells, fur, bones, etc.) also enter the material cycle system. This abundant organic matter enriches the soil and promotes its formation.
In addition, birds are also connectors between various ecosystems, able to migrate between different habitats and drive long-distance material transfer. For example, birds that feed on fish transfer substances from aquatic environments (in the form of various aquatic organisms) to terrestrial environments. This enormous mobility makes birds extremely important in both global and local material cycles.
other functions: Birds have provided humans with numerous inspirations in fields such as scientific research, art, culture, leisure tourism, etc. (invention of airplanes), inheritance (culture and totems of some ethnic or tribal groups), economic income (bird watching, ecotourism), and so on
Such important birds urgently need our protection. Since the 15th century, nearly 200 bird species have become extinct due to human factors such as hunting and habitat loss
Protecting and caring for birds is actually protecting the Earth’s environment that we rely on for survival, and more importantly, protecting ourselves as humans!
References and sources of information
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