What would our world be like without birds? I suppose there are some workaholic city-dwellers, absorbed in the rat race, who might not give birds a second thought; probably even these people would start to have some undefined inkling that something was missing. For many others who derive joy from birds, the loss of them would be quite significant.
The Bible describes a future time of global desolation, of which the depopulation of birds will be one aspect. It is not a pleasant picture. “I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled” (Jeremiah 4:25). “For the mountains I will take up a weeping and wailing, and for the pastures of the wilderness a dirge, because they are laid waste so that no one passes through, and the lowing of the cattle is not heard, both the birds of the sky and the beasts have fled; they are gone” (Jeremiah 9:10). “How long is the land to mourn and the vegetation of the countryside to wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell in it, animals and birds have been snatched away, because men have said, ‘He will not see our latter ending’” (Jeremiah 12:4). The world without birds would be very sad and oppressive, devoid of a large category of beauty and pleasure.
There is something in man that responds to this dismal possibility and attempts to prevent it, leading to deliberate conservation efforts. Some of those efforts are broadly directed toward birds in general, while targeted actions have focused on specific bird species. Many of these conservation practices are similar to what God Himself has done to protect the birds. I have arranged these into four categories.
First, the only known surviving members of a species are placed in a captive, protective environment. God did this during the Flood, although His actions were preemptive rather than reactionary. God knew that all the creatures on earth were about to die. “The LORD said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them’” (Genesis 6:7). “All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind” (Genesis 7:21). This resulted in the near-extinction of every species. In order to maintain the existence of birds, God had placed two unclean and seven (possibly seven pairs) of each clean bird on the ark. After the Flood, these birds reproduced, and their populations again increased to fill the earth.
Humans have mimicked this practice. The California condor was almost extinct in late 1900s. In 1987, the US Fish & Wildlife Service captured all remaining 27 condors. These were placed in the Los Angeles Zoo and an animal park in San Diego, where they underwent a breeding program in captivity. Since then over 1000 chicks have hatched. Condors have been released back into the wild since 1991, and the condor population has surpassed 500. Similarly, but even more extreme, the Mauritius kestrel was down to four known individuals in the 1970s. These four birds were captured and bred in captivity. The offspring were then released into protected habitats and are recovering.
Second, broad, wide-sweeping protections are put into place. These major policies and practices impact many birds. None was greater that the protection God established after the Flood. He made a covenant to never again destroy the earth with a flood. That covenant included the birds, thus forever preventing an entire category of potential devastation. “And with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth” (Genesis 9:10).
Humans are not capable of such a comprehensive protection, but they have taken some major steps to protect birds. DDT was banned in 1972 after scientists realized its devastating impact on raptors. Hunting bans have also been put into place; this has especially helped several large birds – birds that made good targets for hunters, being both fun to hunt and incapable of hiding easily. Sandhill cranes were reduced to several thousand in the 1940s; hunting restrictions were implemented, and there are now around 650,000. (I first saw one on 1/1/26.) Even more extreme, trumpeter swans were down to 69 known birds in the lower 48 states in the 1930s; after a hunting ban, the population has risen into the tens of thousands. (I first saw one on 4/19/25). Another sweeping protection in the US is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which makes it illegal to remove or destroy any bird nest that contains eggs or chicks, and illegal to remove any eggs or chicks from the nest.
Third, there are “common sense” best practices that protect birds. God established one of these guidelines. “If you happen to come upon a bird’s nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young” (Deuteronomy 22:6). God permitted the taking of the eggs or the young, but did not permit the mother to be taken also. The eggs or young could be eaten, but the mother survived to establish future nests. This enhanced the survival possibility of the species.
I thought of three modern-day common-sense provisions. One is the deliberate fostering of sensitive habitats. This is frequently done by establishing wetlands and by performing controlled burns. The Kirtland’s warbler, known as the US’s rarest warbler, breeds only in young jack pine forests in the Great Lakes area (parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario). This unique habitat has been maintained with controlled burns and replanting; as a result, this warbler which was on the endangered list (1967-2019) now has over 2000 pairs. (I will probably never see one, but a local birding acquaintance saw one this spring as it migrated through Ohio). A second example concerns meadowlarks and similar birds that nest in open grassy fields. Some farmers agree to deliberately delay mowing their fields in order to give time for nesting. (I first saw a meadowlark 4/1/04). A third example concerns bluebirds. They were in significant decline, as the available nest cavities were being taken over by more aggressive introduced species (starlings and house sparrows). Both environmental groups and private citizens responded with a massive nesting box initiative. Now landscapes everywhere are sprinkled with bluebird-sized nest boxes. (There are often two boxes side by side, as tree swallows love these boxes but won’t nest right beside each other. The tree swallows take one box, leaving the other for bluebirds.) Bluebirds have recovered nicely to over 20 million. (I’ve had hundreds of sightings of this delightful bird.)
Fourth, protection from predators is important for preserving birds. God predicts a future time when the world will be at total peace; even the birds will not have to fear predators. “In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety” (Hosea 2:18).
Practically, even backyard birders can do this by placing feeders a short distance from trees. This allows birds to have a quick escape from cats and raptors. On a larger scale, island birds are vulnerable when non-native predators are introduced. In New Zealand, the black stilt was down to 23 known individuals in 1981. Their ground-nesting practice made them vulnerable to introduced predators, such as cats and ferrets. With predator control, the stilts have recovered to more than 170. The takahe bird in New Zealand was believed to be extinct until a small group was discovered in 1948. Like several other NZ birds, this one is flightless, making it particularly vulnerable to non-native predators. This newly-discovered population was moved to small offshore islands where the predators do not live, and the population has now surpassed 500.
God cares about the birds, and He protects them in many ways. By mimicking God’s conservation practices, man has seen some good successes. I simplified some of the stories above by highlighting the major issue in each case, although it’s seldom just one thing that creates or solves the problem. Stories and data were found on the below sites.
www.wildbirdscoop.com/bird-conservation-success-stories
birdsmania.com/bird-conservation-success-stories
www.nwf.org/our-work/wildlife-conservation/success-stories
Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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