•BIRDS and their eggs have been at least incidental sources of food for humans since their origin and still are in most societies.

By Evans Nsende –
NON-birders may question why bird conservation is important and what difference it makes to the world at large.
Avid birders and bird watchers know, however, that bird and wildlife conservation is critical to the richness and diversity of the planet we share with more than 10,000 species of birds.
Birds are a diverse group, and their bright colours, distinct songs and calls, and showy displays add enjoyment to our lives.
Birds are very visible, quite common, and offer easy opportunities to observe their diverse plumage and behaviours.
Because of this, birds are popular to many who pursue wildlife watching and monitoring activities.
Birds are fun to watch zipping around the neighborhood or splashing in the bird bath, and their presence bolsters their ecosystems alongside our enjoyment.
They can play any number of roles in a given ecosystem, most of which fall into four main categories: provisioning, regulating, cultural enhancement and supporting services. Supporting services, for example, include tasks such as predation, pollination and seed dispersal.
Birds have been significant to human society in myriad ways.
Birds and their eggs have been at least incidental sources of food for humans since their origin and still are in most societies.
The eggs of some colonial seabirds, such as gulls, terns, and murres, or guillemots, and the young of some mutton-birds are even now harvested in large quantities.
Among other activities, the following are some of the major roles played by birds in the ecosystem and to man.
Agents of Dispersal
Seed dispersal is one of the most important aspects of birds’ roles in their ecosystems, especially since most birds can fly. Seed dispersal simply means the spreading of seeds beyond their immediate area. It is necessary for a number of reasons: The seeds may need to be transported great distances to increase the amount of gene flow in a species; they may need to be “airlifted” to reach potential new colonisation sites; or perhaps they need to be delivered to locations that are ideal for survival and early growth, such as the branch of a tree.
Interestingly enough, while seed dispersal is an efficient seed delivery system, it’s not without its obstacles.
Many plants are generalists, meaning lots of seed-dispersing species can get the plant’s seeds to ideal spots.
But other plants are much more specialised. Some species of chilies, for example, are spicy because of a chemical that makes them toxic to ground-dwelling mammals. Unfortunately, such mammals often moonlight as seed dispersers.
However, it’s hard to do an end run around mother nature and the evolutionary spirit, and it turns out certain species of thrasher are up to the chili dispersal task.
They can eat the spicy chilies without a problem.
And, unlike those little ground mammals with the aversion to spicy fare, the thrashers don’t actually digest the seeds inside.
Instead, they shuttle them to top-notch locations – such as the protective shade of already established plants – and deposit them intact in their waste.
Some birds transport a variety of things through the environment.
For example, birds serve to spread seeds of various plants, thereby helping in plant dispersal.
For instance, robins feeding on mulberries eventually deposit the seeds to other locations in their droppings. Other seed and fruit-eating birds do the same thing. Hummingbirds pollinate various nectar-producing plants, transporting pollen on their beaks and feathers from one flower to the next. Even animals can be spread. Some wading birds relocate fish eggs that get stuck to their legs, thereby aiding in fish dispersal to other parts of a river or marsh.
On the other hand, some birds, such as the house finch, spread an eye disease called avian conjunctivitis (Mycoplasmal Conjunctivitis) through direct contact with each other or through bird feeding stations that attract them.
Biological Controls
If you’ve ever spent time on a summer evening looking up at the sky, you’ve undoubtedly seen swallows, swifts, and nighthawks swooping and gliding through the air.
These aerial acrobats are consuming hundreds of insects, many of which we consider pests. These and other birds consume insects such as mosquitoes, Japanese beetles, and European corn borer moths.
To feed their young, birds catch huge quantities of adult and larval insects, which are high in protein for growing chicks.
Without birds, many of these insects would become even greater pests, consuming agricultural and forestry crops and produce, and our own blood!
Bio-indicators
Without birds, the effects of pollution would not have been as visible in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Perhaps the most famous environmental pollutant, DDT, is an insecticide for controlling various forest and agricultural pests, which was banned in the United States in 1972.
During that time, DDT was known to kill large numbers of American Robins. In North America and elsewhere, the robin was eating insects and other invertebrates that had fed on vegetation tainted with DDT.
The amount of DDT used was lethal to other wildlife as well.
Various raptors, such as the peregrine falcon, bald eagle, and osprey, which fed on DDT contaminated fish and other prey, were laying eggs with very thin shells (due to the disruption of calcium uptake within the female bird).
The eggs could not hold the weight of the adult birds, and thus, most eggs failed to hatch.
DDT is only one example, perhaps to the extreme, of the impacts possible to birds by environmental contaminants. Fortunately, chemicals sold and used in the United States today are not as lethal or persistent as those produced in the 1950s.
However, DDT and other chemicals banned in this country are still being manufactured and shipped to other countries with less strict regulations, and thus, are still impacting wild bird populations. Unfortunately, other ecological factors, such as habitat loss and degradation, are having an even greater impact on birds and other species.
Many migratory bird populations are on a decline.
These birds are telling us something else about the health of the environment, and the impacts we are having on it.
Note: Avian Flu is yet another way birds are bio-indicators, as was West Nile Virus several years ago, which has the potential to inform us of potential threats to our own health.
Man’s duty about birds
Participating in one type of conservation program inevitably leads to a heightened awareness of other environmental and conservation issues.
Birders interested in preserving one species of shore bird, for example, may discover that the reason the bird population is declining is due to contaminated water.
That awareness of local pollution can lead to efforts for better water conservation that may in turn impact local beaches or drinking water.
Conscientious birders should be aware of a range of environmental issues, including; Pollution, Habitat destruction
Pesticide effects, endangered species and Bird hunting regulations
Caution
Be aware that both legal and illegal transportation of birds, especially the captive raised varieties such as poultry, can and has spread Avian Influenza A (H5N1) or “bird flu” across great distances in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Therefor translocation of birds should be done with the help of wildlife managers and vet doctors.
Share with us your experiences, comments and recommendations. Send emails to wildlifemgtsociety@gmail.com  OR evansnsende1@gmail.com