Birds are a colourful, critical component of the earth’s ecosystem. Humans have long had a specific relationship with them, relying on them for food but also keeping them as pets. Their bright plumage has fascinated artists, and birds have been significant symbols in literature and even tattoo art for millenia - we simply couldn’t do without them.
There are around Ten thousand species of bird on the planet today, living everywhere from the deserts of Africa to the icy wastes of the Antarctic. Birds are thought to have developed from dinosaurs during the Jurassic period, around 150-200 million years ago. The earliest known bird is the Archaeopteryx - fossils of the bird are between 150 and 145 million years of age.
Birds are often social animals, frequently grouping together in flocks or forming breeding pairs to hatch eggs and care for young. Some species migrate over vast distances, staying together as a flock and flying in formation across the journey. Other social behavior includes talking with each other through visible signals like plumage displays, or thru calls and songs.
A few individuals use birds for other purposes, either as a spare time pursuit or for work. For example, pigeon racing is a favored sport where birds are released at a certain point and must make their way home in the fastest time possible. Another favored entertainment is hunting with birds of prey like falcons and kestrels, although this needs a high level of experience and specialist apparatus, not to mention costly birds of prey.
Images of birds can represent freedom and freedom in several cases, but some - like owls - can signify bad luck in certain cultures. Birds are also a very important part of heraldry, featuring on coats of arms and flags.
Conservation is vital if we are to keep on our relationship with birds. Humans have been responsible for the extinction of many species, including the dodo. Nevertheless there have also been some success stories - the California condor was brought back from the fringe of extinction by a concerted conservation effort.