Editing Bird (section)

===Economic importance===
{{See also|Pet#Birds}}
[[File:FishingCormorants.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Illustration of fisherman on raft with pole for punting and numerous black birds on raft|The use of cormorants by Asian fishermen is in steep decline but survives in some areas as a tourist attraction.]]

Domesticated birds raised for meat and eggs, called [[poultry]], are the largest source of animal protein eaten by humans; in 2003, {{Nowrap|76 million}} tons of poultry and {{Nowrap|61 million}} tons of eggs were produced worldwide.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brown|first1=Lester|title=Outgrowing the Earth: The Food Security Challenge in an Age of Falling Water Tables and Rising Temperatures |chapter-url=http://www.earth-policy.org/datacenter/xls/book_ote_ch3_2.xls|year=2005|publisher=earthscan |isbn=978-1-84407-185-2|chapter=3: Moving Up the Food Chain Efficiently. }}</ref> [[Chicken]]s account for much of human poultry consumption, though domesticated [[domesticated turkey|turkeys]], [[domestic duck|ducks]], and [[domestic goose|geese]] are also relatively common.<ref>{{cite web |title=Poultry species: Gateway to poultry production and products |url=https://www.fao.org/poultry-production-products/production/poultry-species/en/ |website=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |publisher=FAO |access-date=27 January 2023}}</ref> Many species of birds are also hunted for meat. Bird hunting is primarily a recreational activity except in extremely undeveloped areas. The most important birds hunted in North and South America are waterfowl; other widely hunted birds include [[pheasant]]s, [[wild turkey]]s, quail, [[dove]]s, [[partridge]], [[grouse]], [[snipe]], and [[woodcock]].<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.5962/bhl.title.127802 |title=General and particular descriptions of the vertebrated animals : Arranged conformably to the modern discoveries and improvements in zoology. Order Carnivora |date=1821 |last1=Griffith |first1=Edward |last2=Wood |first2=W. |last3=Davison |first3=Thomas }}{{page needed|date=January 2025}}</ref> [[Muttonbirding]] is also popular in Australia and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Hamilton | first1=S. | year=2000 | title=How precise and accurate are data obtained using. an infrared scope on burrow-nesting sooty shearwaters ''Puffinus griseus''? | url=http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/28_1/28_1_1.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/28_1/28_1_1.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live | journal=Marine Ornithology | volume=28 | issue=1| pages=1–6 }}</ref> Although some hunting, such as that of muttonbirds, may be sustainable, hunting has led to the extinction or endangerment of dozens of species.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Keane | first1=Aidan | last2=Brooke | first2=M. de L. | last3=McGowan | first3=P. J. K. | title=Correlates of extinction risk and hunting pressure in gamebirds (Galliformes) | journal=Biological Conservation | volume=126 | pages=216–233 | year=2005 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2005.05.011 | issue=2| bibcode=2005BCons.126..216K }}</ref>

Other commercially valuable products from birds include feathers (especially the [[Down feather|down]] of geese and ducks), which are used as insulation in clothing and bedding, and seabird faeces ([[guano]]), which is a valuable source of phosphorus and nitrogen. The [[War of the Pacific]], sometimes called the Guano War, was fought in part over the control of guano deposits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/19cen/guanowar.html|title=The Guano War of 1865–1866|publisher=World History at KMLA|access-date=18 December 2007}}</ref>

Birds have been domesticated by humans both as pets and for practical purposes. Colourful birds, such as [[Parrot (family)|parrots]] and [[myna]]s, are bred in [[aviculture|captivity]] or kept as pets, a practice that has led to the illegal trafficking of some [[endangered species]].<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1017/S0030605306000056 | last1=Cooney | first1=R. | last2=Jepson | first2=P. | year=2006 | title=The international wild bird trade: what's wrong with blanket bans? | journal=Oryx | volume=40 | issue=1| pages=18–23 | doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Falcon]]s and [[cormorant]]s have long been used for [[Falconry|hunting]] and [[Cormorant fishing|fishing]], respectively. [[Messenger pigeon]]s, used since at least 1&nbsp;AD, remained important as recently as [[World War II]]. Today, such activities are more common either as hobbies, for entertainment and tourism.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.2307/4140937 | last1=Manzi | first1=M. | last2=Coomes | year=2002 | first2=O. T. | title=Cormorant fishing in Southwestern China: a Traditional Fishery under Siege. (Geographical Field Note) | journal=Geographical Review | volume=92 | issue=4| pages=597–603 | jstor=4140937 }}</ref>

Amateur bird enthusiasts (called birdwatchers, twitchers or, more commonly, [[birding|birders]]) number in the millions.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pullis La Rouche |first1=G. |year=2006 |chapter=Birding in the United States: a demographic and economic analysis |title=Waterbirds around the world |editor-first1=G. C. |editor-last1=Boere |editor-first2=C. A. |editor-last2=Galbraith |editor-first3=D. A. |editor-last3=Stroud |publisher=[[The Stationery Office]] |location=Edinburgh |pages=841–846 |url=http://www.jncc.gov.uk/PDF/pub07_waterbirds_part6.2.5.pdf  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304124708/http://www.jncc.gov.uk/PDF/pub07_waterbirds_part6.2.5.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2011}}</ref> Many homeowners erect [[bird feeder]]s near their homes to attract various species. [[Bird feeding]] has grown into a multimillion-dollar industry; for example, an estimated 75% of households in Britain provide food for birds at some point during the winter.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1111/j.1474-919x.2005.00430.x | last1=Chamberlain | first1=D. E. | last2=Vickery | first2=J. A. | last3=Glue | first3=D. E. | last4=Robinson | first4=R. A. | last5=Conway | first5=G. J. | last6=Woodburn | first6=R. J. W. | last7=Cannon | first7=A. R. | year=2005 | title=Annual and seasonal trends in the use of garden feeders by birds in winter | journal=[[Ibis (journal)|Ibis]] | volume=147 | issue=3| pages=563–575 }}</ref>