Chordate Zoology - textbook - Y. V. Tsaryk - 2013

Chapter 5. SUPERCLASS TETRAPODS (LAND VERTEBRATES) TETRAPODA, seu QUADRIPEDA.

ANAMNIOTES (ANAMNIA) AND AMNIOTES (AMNIOTA)

5.3. CLASS BIRDS AVES

5.3.4. Significance of Birds

Birds play an essential role in the Earth's biosphere and in human life. They have both significant positive and negative impacts on agriculture. By feeding on agricultural and forestry pests (insects, rodents) and weed seeds, birds act as important regulators of their populations, thereby reducing The Need for chemical pesticides. Complex forest stands with diverse bird populations have been found to be the most resilient to pests. For controlling insect pests in forests, all species of tits, treecreepers, nuthatches, flycatchers, warblers, orioles, leaf warblers, nightjars, cuckoos, and woodpeckers are particularly beneficial. In fields and meadows, larks, starlings, swallows, wagtails, small falcons, rooks, partridges, quails, and many others are most useful in combating insect pests.

Rodents are most intensively preyed upon by birds of prey and owls, as well as corvids, gulls, and storks. Birds are capable of quickly locating food concentrations, such as areas of mass pest outbreaks. They can also exploit atypical food sources when they are highly abundant.

A large number of species—representatives of waterfowl, gallinaceous birds, rails, and others—are subjects of sport or commercial hunting. In some regions of Central Asia, traditional hunting with birds of prey—falcons, hawks, and golden eagles—is still preserved.

Birds also have aesthetic value; with their beauty and melodious songs, they adorn parks, gardens, forests, meadows, and Water bodies.

In addition to their benefits, birds can also cause certain damage. In particular, during post-breeding dispersal, starlings can consume large quantities of cherries and grapes; rooks peck at sown seeds and seedlings in fields; and sparrows can destroy millet and grape crops.

Furthermore, birds are carriers of A number of dangerous diseases affecting humans and domestic animals; during Migrations, they facilitate the intercontinental transmission of diseases, including ornithosis, Influenza, encephalitis, and several others.

Poultry. The breeding of poultry is also of great importance to humans, increasingly taking on the characteristics of industrial production. At poultry farms, the birds are kept in cages, while feeding, egg collection, and the maintenance of specific Temperature and lighting conditions are mechanized and automated. Tens of thousands of eggs are placed in incubators at a time. Continuous breeding and Selection work is carried out to ensure high poultry productivity. The ancestor of all domestic chickens was the red junglefowl, Gallus sp., three species of which still inhabit the forests of India and Southeast Asia. They were first domesticated in India several millennia BC. They appeared in Europe in the I—II millennium BC. Through selective breeding, over 100 breeds of domestic chickens have now been developed; some reach a mass of 5—7 kg, while others are characterized by high egg production—up to 320—350 eggs per year.

Turkeys, which descend from the wild turkey Meleagris gallopavo, are also kept as domestic animals. They were domesticated by Native Americans before the common era. Various breeds of domestic geese were bred from the greylag goose Anser anser, widespread in Eurasia, and the swan goose Anser cygnoides. Domestic ducks are descendants of the mallard Anas platyrhynchos, which is widespread in the Northern Hemisphere. The rock dove Columba livia was domesticated in India and Egypt approximately 5 thousand years BC. Today, over 200 ornamental, homing, and meat breeds of pigeons have been developed.

Some birds are kept in homes for aesthetic pleasure. Canaries are especially popular for their exceptionally beautiful songs, and parrots for their vibrant appearance and ability to mimic various sounds, including human speech. Additionally, weaver finches, starlings, rooks, owls, and other birds are often kept at home, attracting owners with their beautiful plumage, pleasant songs, activity, and liveliness, becoming true pets.