Imagine a world where there were no birds – they’ve all gone extinct. Most of us would consider a spring morning without birds singing and calling or a noticeable absence of feathery creatures soaring through the sky. If you’ve ever witnessed the miracle of a wild bird egg hatching perhaps that is the you hold dear and mourn so deeply if the world did not have birds.
Now, consider a world without birds from an ornithologist or scientist’s perspective. Although they too might miss the cheerful bird sounds and miracle of a new baby bird, their thoughts would be consumed by more profound and concerning thoughts of the environmental loss and impact on the ecosystem.
If birds were to go extinct, or their populations decline significantly, the impact would run far deeper than quiet spring mornings and the absence of cute baby birds. Human life and other wildlife would change forever.
2. Dispersers of Seed
Think about this typical situation: a bird forages across the landscape, eating fruits that contain seeds. It then flies hundreds of miles away and deposits “flying seed bundles” from above, the seeds of which sprout into trees. Now multiply that by millions of flying seed bundles and thousands of birds. An essential task is being carried out.
According to the Center for Environmental Science at Indiana University-Purdue, 92% of woody tree species are dispersed by birds. This includes timber, edible plants such as spices, medicinal plants, and ornamental species.
Along with butterflies and some insects, birds help with pollination. They are still crucial, though not as much as they are for seed dispersal. As per the findings of the Center for Environmental Science at Purdue University in Indiana, 3–5% of some economically significant crops and medicinal plants are pollinated by birds (E2%80%97).
By exchanging organic and inorganic matter—a process known as “nutrient cycling”—birds operate as extremely efficient mobile links between living and nonliving organisms. Because they can travel from one habitat to another (from the ocean to the land) and from one region of the world to another, birds are ideal for this activity, which is necessary for all living things. Additionally important are migrating birds, which transport nutrients throughout the nation and, in the case of the Arctic Tern, from one pole to the other (the Arctic to the Antarctic).
Although it’s not a glamorous job, someone has to do it, and birds are good at it. When an animal passes away while still whole (as occurs when it drowns or dies from natural causes), it takes the physical characteristics of a bird, like a condor, buzzard, or vulture, to rip through the hide and start the process of scavenging until only bones are left.
Not a pleasant thought but an essential one. There would be far more diseases in the world if this service didn’t exist.
Endangered, Vulnerable, and Near Threatened: 1,481 Bird Species
- Cauca Guan
- Maleo
- Vanuatu Scrubfowl
- Malleefowl
- Udzungwa Forest-partridge
Why Are Birds Going Extinct?
Human activity causes birds to become extinct for a variety of reasons, such as habitat loss, trophy hunting, glass breakage, and the introduction of invasive species.