Birds provide intangible aesthetic enjoyment and enrich our lives with their presence. This intangible value comes from knowing our world is still large and healthy enough to support a variety of bird species. Hopefully, you have paid more attention to birds since I suggested you try to spy on them during your daily activities. Humans have paid attention to birds for hundreds of
thousands of years and incorporated their images into various symbols and art forms. Now, look around your environs and see what bird-related objects you see. To start, there are birds on coins, stamps, wine labels, phone cards, etc. What brand names or auto names are based on birds? Remember the toucan on the Froot Loops cereal box? The Ford Falcon? Here’s a way to keep your kids (or yourself) entertained! You will be surprised at how bird images permeate our life.

Why birds? Why is the Bald Eagle – or any bird, for that matter- our national symbol? (The Bald Eagle was chosen as our national symbol by Congress in 1782, although Benjamin Franklin preferred the Wild Turkey.) Why does every state have a state bird? Well, many states also have state mammals, flowers, rocks, and insects, but the birds are the most well-known. There are 10,000 kinds of birds, but there are 80,000 species of beetles and 25,000 species of fish. Why don't we have more beetle product images and fish on state flags?

Not only are birds all around us, but so are insects and trees. However, birds are more noticeable because they move, sing, and remain active during the day throughout the year. They are truly part of everyday human life, regardless of where one is in the world. It's hard to overlook them. Historical evidence, even from prehistoric times, shows carvings of ostriches in Egyptian caves and paintings of ducks in French ones. Royalty across Europe and Asia were passionate about falconry; symbols of birds appear on coats of arms and national flags. and many myths and folkloric stories involving birds are part of every culture’s history.

Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, had an owl as her companion. Birds have been symbols of conservation efforts for over a century. The bird conservation movement began in the late 1800s with initiatives to protect egrets and herons from the feather trade. Additionally, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring sparked the environmental movement by highlighting the victims of pesticides such as Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons ,Ospreys, and Brown Pelicans. Birds continue to be important indicators of our ecosystems, acting as barometers of habitat change and “telling” us how we are faring as stewards of our planet.

As vital components in the ecosystem, birds control insect pests, pollinate flowers, distribute seeds, are food for other animals, control other animal populations, etc. And then there are all the sayings and witticisms about birds: “The early bird gets theworm.” “A little bird told me.” “Eats like a bird.” “A little birdie told me.” “Wild goose chase.”“Out on a lark.” And so on. What about movie titles? “The Maltese Falcon.” “The Owl and the Pussycat” ,“Wings of an Eagle.” And of course, “The Birds. " We also describe people as being“crazy as a loon, " “wise as an owl, " and “madder than a wet hen.” And songs like “The Bluebird of Happiness, " “Red Red Robin, " and “Free As a Bird. " Some towns are named for birds – like Bird-in-Hand , Pennsylvania; Wren, Oregon; Birdseye, Indiana; Parrot, Kentucky;and Kingfisher, Oklahoma. Of course, there are sports teams - Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Eagles, and more. What other bird-related things can you think of?