Let's celebrate National Bird Day by learning more on how to protect them
Nature is GREENA’s biggest inspiration. In honor to #nationalbirdday, we want to share the current threats and how can WE help to protect birds. They are the barometers of our planet’s environmental health.
What are the main threats birds are currently facing?
1. Climate change. This affects the timing of natural events of birds. Example: birds use temperature as a cue to start reproduction. They time reproduction to when prey (caterpillars in oak trees) will be most abundant for nestlings.
What happens when temperatures go higher?
Birds start breeding earlier in the spring and since temperatures have increased more rapidly over the course of the season, caterpillars are emerging sooner and most birds lay clutches too late for them to take advantage of the peak in prey. The cues they use to reproduce are not matching up with the peak prey availability. This can diminish reproductive output and endanger population survival.
2. Fire and burning regimes kill the birds and modify their habitat. In many areas, the first plants to regrow after a bushfire are environmental weeds, which may choke out the seedlings of other plants and eventually form monocultures resulting in little or no diversity. The weeds may dominate to such an extent that there is little or no diversity- in terms of types of plants and the structure of the vegetation - and most species of birds usually require diversity in their habitats.
3. Habitat fragmentation. The lives of birds are inextricably linked to the habitat in which they live, as it determines the availability of their food and shelter. When clearing occurs there are often small patches of habitat left. Where a habitat was once continuous, it is now divided into fragments, which are separated by other, different habitats.
One example of the implications that can have is that the area of forest may remain too small for hunting purposes. Some species, such as forest owls like the Sooty Owl, require large areas of forest to hunt in. If the area of forest remaining is too small, the owls are simply unable to catch enough food, and die.
What can WE do to help their conservation?
🌱Use natural pest control since birds predate on smaller rodents to sustain themselves
🌱Reduce your carbon footprint
🌱Place trash in appropriate binds
🌱Plant native species to support biodiversity
🌱Create small bird habitats
🌱Reduce interaction with birds. They are too sensitive to human interaction and if they have to leave a nest, this can cause stress and use of physical strength, leading to overworking the bird.
National Bird Day is celebrated to appreciate everything these great animals do and to raise awareness for the adversity they face on a daily basis. Let’s raise the awareness together and protect our nature!