A World without Birds?

Who hasn’t stopped to admire the majestic flight of a hawk or eagle? Or woke up in the morning to a bright sky overhead and the sound of birds chirping and felt refreshed and renewed? Or heard the joyous (or annoying, depending on one’s viewpoint) sound of a woodpecker pecking? Or stopped to watch the flight and sounds of a wedge of Canadian geese as they migrate during the spring and fall? Or admired the beauty of a Cardinal, a Blue Jay, or another colorful bird? Birds reflect some part of the majesty of God and remind us that God is present in the midst of his creation. 

But birds do far more than add beauty and color to the world around us: 

• Birds that eat seeds or fruits with seeds are pollinators; they play a central role in seed dispersal, often benefitting plants that are unable to otherwise disperse their seeds. Birds foster biodiversity. 
• Birds of prey eat rodents and can help to keep their populations under control.  
• Some birds eat insects and can be effective in controlling insect populations. In fact, it is estimated that birds consume between 400 and 500 million tons of insects per year.
• Other birds, such as crows and vultures, are scavengers that perform efficient cleanup; the speed with which they arrive after death and their thoroughness limits the population of other scavengers – such as rats or feral dogs – which tend to carry disease to humans. In areas of China where these birds have been eliminated, rabies among humans has emerged as a major health problem.
• Birds are essential to the preservation of many ecosystems, such as wetlands (they eat the insects or snails that would otherwise ravage plant life) and coral reefs. Birds are essential to maintaining healthy ecosystems.  

Unfortunately, we are rapidly moving toward a world without birds. Depending on the species, many birds can live only within climates that have a particular temperature range. Others are more susceptible to pollution. Most of the birds that eat seeds, grain, and fruit are threatened by pesticides. The birds of prey are threatened by poisons used to control vermin populations. As the world around us becomes more urban and less rural, birds are suffering from a loss of habitat and a scarcity of food. And of course, water, an essential ingredient that sustains all life on this planet, is becoming more and more scarce. Along with the loss of bees, the loss of birds will be a catastrophe of epic proportions for our planet. We can examine the birds that are facing extinction in a particular area by using the Audubon Society’s Bird and Climate Visualizer. For King County, for example, it shows that 108 species of birds are moderately to highly vulnerable to extinction, but only 77 species are slightly vulnerable or stable. 

Our ability to prevent the mass extinction of birds depends on numerous factors, many beyond our control. We can, however, do our best to ensure that as many living birds as possible survive, and that we are not the cause of death of any birds. Actions that we can take include the following: 

• If you have a cat, keep it indoors. Roaming domestic cats kill an estimated 2.4 billion birds per year. This is the largest source of direct, human-caused mortality to birds.
• Identify the windows of your house or apartment that birds are most likely to fly into and retrofit them, typically at a cost of a few cents per window. For more information, see How to Keep Birds from Hitting Windows on the American Bird Conservancy website.
• If you see migratory birds or a waterfowl crossing the street, stop and be patient. These birds are slow-moving and not traffic-savvy. Do not run a bird over! They typically travel in pairs, and many species are monogamous and mate for life. Remember that birds, like humans, are sentient beings; imagine witnessing a loved one next to you being run over by a car.
• Put out a bird feeder to provide food for birds. You can mount the feeder on a shepherd's hook so that squirrels and other unwanted creatures won't get to it.  For information on the diets of various species of birds, see Bird Diet Types and Foods to Attract Birds to Your Lawn on thespruce.com. 

• Do not use rat poison (which also kills raptors such as hawks and eagles) or pesticides. Use small cage traps to trap unwanted vermin, then relocate them. 
• If you are a bird hunter, consider not hunting. If you decide to hunt nevertheless, do not hunt birds that are moderately to highly vulnerable.
• Create a bird-friendly habitat in your back yard, if you have one.
• When an oil spill (which inflicts irreversible damage on marine life, including waterfowl) occurs, pay close attention to the details. If the oil company’s negligence resulted in the spill (as is usually the case), express your outrage by boycotting that company’s products. 
• Donate to an organization that focuses on bird conservation, such as American Bird Conservancy or the National Audubon Society.