Birds are profoundly important animals. As predators, pollinators, seed dispersers, scavengers and ecosystem bioengineers, the world’s 11,000 species of birds play critical roles in the food chain and therefore the existence of animal life.
They have also shaped the advancement of human societies culturally, philosophically, artistically, economically and scientifically. Birds feature prominently in the history of painting, poetry, commerce and music.
