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Ecological Importance

“Spring would not be spring without bird songs.”
Theodore Roosevelt

Jeff Larsen

Wild birds are essential components of healthy, functioning natural systems. They pollinate flowers, disseminate seeds, and help keep insect populations under control.

Like the proverbial canaries in a coal mine, birds also serve as indicators of the ecological health of our planet. Because of their rapid metabolism and wide geographic distribution, birds provide early warning to us of changes in the environment and potentially harmful biological conditions.

Robust, diverse bird populations reflect the underlying health of the ecosystem in which they—and we—live. When a wetland begins to lose its ducks, herons, and swallows, it’s a signal that water quantity and quality are declining, which bodes ill for other species such as salmon and people. Since we share our planet with all other species, what happens to birds will happen to us.

Economic Importance

“Kill not the goose that lays the golden egg.”
— English proverb

Birds save money. Without the environmental assistance we get from birds, we would have to spend far more money on pest control and keeping natural systems in balance. Insect-eating birds on farms, in woodlands, and in cities reduce the need for chemical pest control. Birds are also voracious eaters of weed plants and nuisance rodents. They provide us with “free ecological services” and are unheralded assistants to farmers, foresters, and gardeners.

Birds make money. Bird watching is the fastestgrowing form of outdoor recreation in the United States, up 155 percent in the last ten years. In 2001 more than 46 million Americans watched birds and spent more than $32 billion on the pastime. People travel to see birds, buy backyard bird feeders, plant gardens for birds, and spend money to support bird research and protect bird habitat.

Birders attract money to Washington. The economic impact from birders and watchable wildlife enthusiasts is astounding. The latest report from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife shows that wildlife watching provides more than 22,000 jobs and brings in $980 million to the state annually, compared to $350 million from hunting and $854 million from recreational fishing. Most birders are well educated, have annual incomes greater than $30,000, and are willing to spend money to watch birds. When birders go on overnight bird-watching trips, they typically spend $100 to $130 per day.

Aesthetic Importance

“Keep a green bough in your heart and the singing bird will come.”
– Chinese proverb

Birds populate our fields and forests and waters as well as our books and plays and paintings. They awaken the poet and artist and philosopher in each of us, and we celebrate their beauty and power of flight. They help our spirits soar, our visions broaden – and they renew our natural sense of joy and wonder.