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Top Five Reasons Why Birds Are Awesome.

At Avian Conservation Uganda, people always ask us; why are birds important? How do birds help us? And why are bird-conservation projects important? We always say birds have many uses because they provide immeasurable aesthetic, cultural, economic and natural benefits to society, economies and the environment and therefore conserving them conserving them for the benefit of next generations is important work. The following are some of the benefits of birds;

Benefits to agriculture and farming;

Farmers benefit the most from birds . Birds’ presence on farms has several good and challenging implications. For instance, birds such as cattle egrets help to control pests around animals by feeding on them. In crop growing, birds still control pests (although can be pests sometimes too) birds pollinate plants, disperse seeds and control weeds. Despite feeding on farmers crops, the overall impact on the natural environment scale, birds’ presence on farms is positive . Farmers are being encouraged to cater for these their best friends with conservation-friendly farming techniques.

Benefits to culture, people and society.

Birds have immense impact on cultures , societies and (wo)man’s interaction with the environment. There is a direct correlation between interacting with birds and quality of life in terms of art , activities, nutrition, , folklore and legends, values and attitudes. Interaction with birds increases the quality of life of man; whether he is a farmer, a sailor , Noah of the Ark or a hunter. Admittedly, we were being too generous when we said birds are farmers’ best friend, because it can be argued that hunters get the most from the awesomeness of birds. Considering, (wo)man started hunting thousands (if not millions) of years before he started farming the land, hunters have enjoyed their winged friends much more. Many a culture tamed birds such as falcons, kites and ravens to assist in spotting out prey or even hunting for their pets.Birds are so awesome that nations, military units, sports teams, organizations and superstars associate with their image, symbolism and adopting their qualities and fearlessness. For example, Ugandan representatives adorn colours of the National bird – the Grey crested crane, while Liverpool modelled a mythical Liver Bird from the cormorant to be the team’s badge. Artists, artisans enjoy the aesthetic value of birds creating magnificent artistic products from bird watching, bird parts such as feathers and songs. Musicians compose the sweetest of melodies enjoyed by many a music lover inspired by bird songs and their calls. Safe to say, it will be a sad day when birds die.

Benefits to food production and ensuring food security

Birds a great source of food for people, animals, insects and interestingly, other birds. People rear birds domestically for food, animals hunt birds, other animals feed on their eggs while others feed their decomposing dead flesh. Therefore, birds play a significant role in balancing the nutrition chain for both people and the natural ecosystem.

Economic benefits of birds:

In Uganda, there are several economic benefits of birds including; poultry farming, recreational birdwatching and tourism, image symbolism and branding, health products, art & crafts, agricultural inputs sourced from birds and other subtle socio-economic value of birds to societies. All these bird-based products contribute significantly to Uganda’s GDP creating thousands of jobs, supporting equally numerous families and enhance the quality of life.

Beneficial role played by birds in natural ecosystems

Birds are important indicators of the status of the environment. In the wild, birds communicate to animals the events happening in their vicinity. For instance, a presence of marabou storks, vultures and crows signals the presence of a carcass and this is sometimes the lifeline of many animals, insects and other birds. In addition, this scavenger activity helps to clean the environment of decomposing bodies leaving the environment clean. Birds also help to disperse seeds in the wild, pollinate plants and control pests and diseases in wild flora and fauna. Bird dropping also fertilize marine resources and provide food for fish to improve the quality of marine life. Birds are also crucial players on the natural food chain providing food for carnivores, birds of prey, eggs for snakes, lizards and other predators. This sustains the ecosystem and keeps the environment healthy.

Trees are a massively important habitat for birds. However, it’s not just any trees. Birds always prefer indigenous trees of the area they inhabit for example pine trees and eucalyptus trees are not indigenous to the Great lakes’ region of East Africa and therefore birds hardly use these trees as habitat. Therefore, efforts to restore bird habitat through forest restoration must emphasize planting indigenous trees such as fabaceae family trees, morace family trees and other indigenous fruiting trees