The answer is no, not without harming ourselves.
What do wild birds do for human beings?
They are living, breathing symbols of liberty and beauty, grace, precision,
excellence -- frequently so exquisite as to be dumbfounding; frequently
and, reassuringly, very plain. Historically symbols of sky and freedom
for earthbound animals like us, who must still envy and study their easy, aerial
acrobatics.
Origins of song, poetry and myth. Living descendants of the dinosaurs. Most
efficient insectivores in the world yet harmless to us and the earth.
Major pollinators, essential predators and scavengers. "Our"
wild birds are a major link in the food chain that sustains us all as
fellow creatures. Symbiotic protectors of trees. A living early warning
system to humans of the health of our environment; considerable additions to property
values as well as family values. A multi-billion dollar industry, worldwide,
for tourism and gardeners.
More?
Our fellow creatures known as "wild birds" are
a gift of God and Nature; crucial to the web of life that
supports our own. They are happy harbingers of Spring and
the seasons; an endless pleasure to the observing eye, ear
and intellect. Unexpectedly -- to some -- they are proving
to be intelligent and sentient beings, worthy of respect and
protection as valuable members of our extended family. Will
human population expansion, rapacious profit, unguarded markets
and technology, be allowed to destroy them?
