- PROGRAMS
- IBP Programs Home Page
- MAPS - Monitoring Avian Productivity
and Survivorship - MoSI - Monitoring Overwinter Survival
- Regional Science and Conservation Programs
- Regional Science and Conservation Programs Home
- Sierra Nevada Science and Conservation Program
- Sierra Nevada Science and Conservation Program Home
- Birds and Forest Management
- Birds and Fire
- Birds of Sierra Nevada National Parks
- Climate Change and Sierra Nevada Birds
- Conserving Sierra Nevada Birds of Prey
- Willow Flycatcher Conservation
- Restoring Montane Meadows and
Riparian Habitat - Monitoring Birds at California's
Vehicular Recreation Areas - Pacific Northwest Science and Conservation Program
- Southwest Science and Conservation Program
- Pacific Islands Science and Conservation Program
- Pollinator Ecology and Conservation
- Molt and Plumage Studies
- Bird Bander Training
- Burrowing Owl Research and Monitoring
WHY STUDY BIRDS?
We admire birds for their beauty, songs, and the grace of their near miraculous ability to fly, but are birds important to the ecosystem?
Yes! Birds provide many direct and indirect contributions to the environment.
- Many ecologically important plants require pollination by birds, especially hummingbirds, in order to successfully reproduce.
- Pinyon Jays, Clark’s Nutcrackers, and other species help conifer populations by dispersing their seeds, and fruit-eating birds aid the germination and spread of other types of plants and trees.
- Hawks and owls are great consumers of pests such as rodents, while flycatchers and other insectivores consume many tons of insects each year.
In addition, bird watching and related eco-tourism is a major economic force in many parts of the world. On a less quantitative level, birds provide humans with pleasure, joy, and spiritual inspiration merely by their presence.
Perhaps most importantly, birds are also excellent indicators of environmental health. Decades ago, miners really did take canaries and other birds with them underground to provide early detection of dangerous gases. In the natural world, because they are relatively abundant, easily observed, and have a high position on the food chain, birds give us clues about the health of the environment. Declines in Peregrine Falcons and Bald Eagles provided important information about the dangers and spread of DDT and heavy metals. Today, changes in bird populations can tell us a great deal about the impacts of climate change, drought, weather, and habitat change in the United States and around the world.
To continue to live sustainably and have a healthy planet, we must understand how the natural systems on which we depend function. Birds are a critical element to nearly every ecosystem on earth, and their fate is intertwined with ours.
Photo Credits: Top of Page, Keith Williams; Right Column Top, academia.dk; Right Column Bottom, Smudge 9000
WHAT ARE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES?
Ecosystems are communities of interacting organisms and their environment. They can be small (a single pond or patch of woods) or enormous (The Amazon Jungle or Pacific Ocean).
The “services” that ecosystems provide us form the foundation of our economies and healthy lives. Without clean air, water, and soil, and vibrant, inter-connected natural processes, many parts of the world's ecosystems would falter.
Birds are an essential part of these processes--they're present in nearly every ecosystem in the world--and, just as importantly, act as "feathered barometers" to let us know how healthy these systems are.
