Farmers and birds have a symbiotic relationship where they benefit each other. Birds help farmers by spreading seeds, pollinating flowers, and eating harmful insects and their eggs. Some insects help control other insects that destroy crops. However, overuse of pesticides harms these beneficial insects and birds. If farmers protect birds and do not use pesticides, the birds will continue to naturally control pests while the farmers have healthy crops. Conservation efforts are needed to protect birds that help both farms and the overall environment.

1. Birds and farmers
Once a giant had a big orchard where small children used to play inside without letting
the giant knew. The children climbed on trees, plucked raw fruits and broke the branches.
The giant did not like it and made strong fence to stop children from entering in to his
orchard. Next year, the spring did not enter in to his yard and the trees did not bear
flowers and the fruits. The orchard waited for children to enter and play inside. The giant
realized it and removed the fence again to let the children enter in to it where, much later,
the trees bore flowers and fruits as it were in the past.
The relation between man and nature is very strong. One does not enjoy in the absence of
the other. The similar relation is there between farmers, birds and insects in the farm.
They make a complete whole for the prosperity of one another. Birds depend on farmers
and so do farmers on birds. These birds help farmers to spread seeds and pollinate
flowers. Some birds are herbivores and some are carnivorous. In the same way, some
insects destroy plants in the farm and some other eats the other insects but do not destroy
the crops. Birds are the agents of nature.
The insects which destroy the plants have high breeding rates where as those which are
carnivorous have low breeding rates. The insects which eat plants leave lay thousands of
eggs on the leaf which the other type of insects eat them and help to minimize the number
of harmful insects and their eggs. In some developed countries, good insects are used by
farmers to kill bad insects. Lady bug, praying mantis, honey bee are some of the good
insects where as grasshopper, tomato horn worm, gypsy moth are some bad insects.
Using good insects to kill bad insects is called biocontrol method. Similarly, birds like
drongos, mynas, sparrows, pipits, orioles, paddy birds, egrets, doves, pigeons, owls,
storks, and cranes help to kill the harmful insects and their eggs in the field and help
farmers to save their crops. We see many birds in farms and think that they may be
destroying our crops but they are helping the farmers in many ways.
If we make the farmers understand this secret and make them aware of the advantages of
birds, they will not spray poisons and pesticides but will invite birds in their farms and
work for the conservation of these useful birds. The use of pesticides not only kills
harmful pests but also harm useful insects and birds. The frequent use of pesticides, one
day, will threaten the farmers in the quality of their crops and ridiculously destroy the
fertility of the soil as well.
If we do not threaten birds, do not destroy their nests and eggs, do not throw stones at
them and do not poison them, they find the area safe for them and visit every year. The

2. farmers get good and organic crops for them and the birds find safe location for their
breeding. The regular visit of birds in our homes and in the farm gives us piece of mind
as well. The co-existence of birds and the farmers has been defined by “economy
ornithology” by some researchers. Even in Jamaica, birds have been found very useful in
coffee farms where female farmers preserve eggs inside the farm. Birds have been found
very useful in comprehensive insect management plan by the famous researchers Johnson
and Jedlicka.
Birds are very friendly for humans. We cannot imagine our world without birds. Some
birds live in the dense forests but some other birds live in the human settlement areas.
Some are water birds. They live on water (rivers and lakes). These birds are also being
threatened by the ignorant farmers’ activities. People poison the water source and kill
these birds.
Birds eat the leftovers and clean the areas. We can see birds like sparrows, swallows,
crows, shrikes, Indian rollers, prinias, warblers in our garden and yards. They are our
friends but not the foes. Flycatcher has got its name because of its habit of catching
insects. Birds eat more than their body weight in a day. It has been recorded that 95% of
foods of birds is insect. Some other birds like vultures, kites and falcons help us to
control the population of rodents (mice, field rats, rabbits and squirrels). They clean our
earth as they are birds of pray. Vultures live on the dead animals. They are scavengers.
They do not kill by themselves but eat rotten and stale dead body of animals. But they are
not predators.
Birds are very important for farmers in particular and to all the people on earth in general.
The government, private sectors, schools, local clubs and farmer’s organizations should
work together for the conservation of birds.
The author is
the executive member of
Bird Education Society, Sauraha, Chitwan.