Birds: They pollinate, eat mosquitos, spread seeds, poop fertilizer… oh yeah, and they’re dinosaurs. They are a fascinating way to get your feet wet in the wonderful world of citizen science. Read on to learn just some of the reasons why birds are awesome, and how you can help them!

Environmental Indicators

Community Composition and Trends

“The intimate linkages between some bird species and their habitats make them useful for identifying ecosystem health. As such, they can be indicators of deteriorating habitat quality and environmental pollution, as well as metrics to determine the success of restoration efforts. Combined with their ability to signal the eminent outbreak of diseases, birds are incredibly useful as indicators to both the fields of environmental science and to human health.” 

Long Distance Migrations

Bar-tailed Godwit

This species has the longest non-stop migration in the world, and they can do it really fast. Their route takes them straight across the Pacific, so they couldn’t stop if they wanted to! A female Godwit holds the record at 11,500km, which she did in just 9 days.

Surprising Ways of Life

Terrestrial Life

When you think of a giant ground-dwelling bird an ostrich probably comes to mind. Let me introduce you to its Australian cousin: the Cassowary. Females can reach a whopping 5.6” tall, with an ability to run 50 km/h, and jump 7” high. Males are in charge of incubating the eggs and raising the young until they are about a year old. They have incredible head ornaments called ‘casques’, the purpose of which still eludes scientists, but they might play a role in the low booming sounds they make to communicate through dense forest.

Underwater Life 

Many ducks have evolved the ability to swim underwater in search of prey. They are so good at it that they “sacrificed” the ability to walk well on land. Their legs are positioned so far back on their bodies to facilitate swimming that it can be quite difficult or impossible for them to walk or take flight from land. Head to Lake Ontario during the winter to see lots of diving ducks!

Burrow Life

Yep – some birds have gone underground. The aptly named Burrowing Owl lives in old burrows made by other animals, and hunts on the ground for invertebrates and small vertebrates. They’ve even evolved to have a higher tolerance for carbon dioxide, which is important to have in burrows where oxygen isn’t as available as above ground.

Register for EcoSpark’s School Watch Program if you want to learnhow to incorporate bird-related, curriculum linked citizen scienceinto your classroom. Registration is open until April 5th andincludes a copy of our School Watch Guide featuring over a dozencitizen science projects, including the Great Backyard Bird Counthappening February 15th to 18th. Pick a day, see how many birdsyou can find in at least 15 minutes, and submit your observationson eBird. Scientists use the data to answer big picture questions about birds.

References

[1] https://www.environmentalscience.org/birds-environmental-indicators

[2] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2007/09/alaska-bird-longest-mirgation/

[3] https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/cassowary

[4] https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Burrowing_Owl/overview

Sara's passion for ecology, bird watching, and educating the public about the environment started during her undergraduate degree, where she focused on biodiversity, conservation, and ecology. Through a graduate degree in Environmental Science, Sara discovered the immense value of citizen science for advancing conservation, and has been working professionally and on a volunteer basis to encourage the public to take an active role in protecting their local environment and beyond. Working with EcoSpark was the logical way forward as Sara continues with her passion of spreading knowledge about nature and how fun and amazing it can be!