Bad News for the Birds
Have you heard the news? A recent study has indicated that birds in North America are in trouble. In the past fifty years the total number of birds has declined nearly 30%. That means over one in four birds have disappeared in North America. The study, published by the journal Science, reveals that close to three billion birds have been lost during just a portion of my lifetime. This is tragic news! Everyone knows that birds play an important role in the various ecosystems they abide in. They are an instrumental part in the web of life. Thankfully, not all species have experienced decline but every biome in the United States and Canada has been affected. The populations of waterfowl, raptors and turkeys have increased significantly. That is not the case for major families like sparrows, warblers, blackbirds and finches. Many of our most beloved birds are disappearing at an alarming rate. Ken Rosenberg, from Cornell Lab of Ornithology, says the bird losses “are a strong signal that our human-altered landscapes are losing their ability to support birdlife. And that is an indicator of a coming collapse of the overall environment.”
What are the reasons behind the dramatic decline in the bird population? There are several. Habitat loss and the widespread use of harmful pesticides are two primary factors. A decline in the insect population has affected those species that depend on insects for food. Other causes include climate change, detrimental land use policy, and the weakening of wildlife protection policies. Even things like window collisions and cat predation have been pointed to as contributing factors for decline. Knowing the causes for decline is important but doing something about them will require significant effort and changes. Do we care enough to make these changes? I believe people of faith should care enough.
About the time I first read the reports about the loss of three billion birds in North America I was studying the story of Noah and the Flood. I can’t read that story without remembering that God was insistent that the flood not destroy all wildlife. God instructed Noah to build an ark not just to preserve humans, but all creatures as well. I found Genesis 7:2-3 to be very interesting. God told Noah, “Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.” It would seem that God made a special effort to preserve the birds—seven pairs of “every kind of bird” were to be placed in the ark. Could God have a special love and concern for birds? It would not surprise me if that was the case at all. We know from the Gospels that Jesus paid careful attention to the birds and encouraged us to do so as well. Now, especially now, would seem to be a good time to do so.
–Chuck