AS an avid bird watcher, I am often asked what is the importance of birds in our environment.

The recent attack by locust swarms on the city is a perfect example of the utility of birds and their important contribution to our ecosystem.

Anyone who happened to be living near the sites where these locust swarms landed must have witnessed the large flocks of rosy starlings, rollers and other feathered friends efficiently eating them. Locusts are a natural attraction for these birds as they consider them a feast.

That is not all. Birds also consume seeds and fly off to other areas and excrete the seeds. These then grow into plants which provide us protection from the elements.

Where humans have failed to protect agricultural lands, these birds have come to our rescue.

Mirza Naim Beg
Karachi

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2019