Birds Are Among Earth's Most Important Nutrient Movers

Birds are among Earth's most important nutrient movers

Birds play an outsized, underappreciated role in shaping Earth's chemistry, distributing nutrients across oceans, forests and coral reefs and sustaining life far beyond the nest. Researchers from Cornell and five other institutions reviewed nearly 400 scientific papers to show how birds transport nutrients from land, lake and sea through their waste and bodies. This influences everything from soil and water chemistry to plant and animal growth. …

Birds Drive Global Nutrient Cycles: Avian Ecology Explained

Discover how birds act as crucial global nutrient transporters, shaping ecosystem chemistry and supporting coral reefs through dietary shifts and migr

Review quantifies birds’ role as nutrient transporters

A review of nearly 400 papers finds that birds transport and concentrate nutrients across terrestrial and aquatic environments, linking their feeding, movement and waste to ecosystem productivity.