Importance of Birds

Birds are most useful to humans as destroyers of harmful insects and as consumers of weed seeds. Predatory birds such as the hawk, eagle, and owl are essential because they keep down the populations of rats, mice, and other rodents that would otherwise devour valuable food crops. Birds also pollinate many species of flowering plants.

Guano is a valuable fertilizer obtained from the droppings of seabirds. Seeds that pass undigested through the bodies of birds fall to the ground and introduce plants into new areas. Domestic birds such as the chicken, duck, turkey, and goose contribute meat and eggs to our food supply. Game birds furnish both meat and sport. The feathers of the ostrich, pheasant, goose, and other species are used for decoration. Eiderdown, duck, goose, and chicken feathers are used to stuff pillows, quilts, and outdoor clothing.

Birds such as the canary, parakeet, parrot, and cockatoo are tamed for their singing or "talking" ability. Pigeons are used for racing and as message carriers, and are kept as pets and for food purposes. Various species of falcons and hawks are trained to catch birds and small animals for their masters. In China, cormorants are used to catch fish.

In cities, the English sparrow, pigeon, and starling are often annoying because of their droppings and noise. Crows, blackbirds, starlings, and others sometimes destroy plant seedlings. Many kinds of birds attack ripe fruit; and finches, linnets, and pine siskins have been known to destroy crops of cherries, apricots, and peaches by eating the fruit buds.

Birds are carriers of the disease psittacosis (parrot fever), which can affect humans. Quarantine and inspection of imported birds have all but eliminated the disease from the United States.